AND  THE     II  \  TWENTIETH 

^  1^\  T'IPT  TTSViT      \  \  J     /^ITYItC   A  !T\t? 

CENTURY  \    CRUSADE 


LIBRARY 

UNIVER  ,«;y  OF 
CAL1H..KHI* 

SAN  DJEQO 


THE 
GENIUS   OF   FREEMASONRY 


I  i  i 

Mi 


Liberty  and  Light 


THE  GENIUS 

OF 

FREE-MASONRY 

AND  THE 

TWENTIETH-CENTURY 
CRUSADE 


BY 

J.  D.  BUCK 

AUTHOR  OF  "MYSTIC  MASONRY"  AND  "A  STUDY  OF  MAN" 


SUPPLEMENTAL  HARMONIC  SERIES 
VOLUME  I 


FOURTH  EDITION 


CHICAGO 

INDO-AMERICAN  BOOK  CO. 
1914 


COPYRIGHT  BY  J.  D.  BUCK 
1907 


PUBLISHED  1907. 


Dedication 
*for  the  6ood  of 

in  the  interest  of 
freedom  and  fraternity, 
Light,  Liberty  and  Love 

against— 

Ignorance,  Superstition  and  fear, 
Clericalism,  Despotism,  and  'jfcsuittsm 


"If  the  liberties  of  the  American 
people  are  ever  destroyed,  they  will 
fall  by  the.  hands  of  the  Roman 
clergy." — General  .Lafayette  (edu- 
cated a  Catholic). 


CONTENTS 


Frontispiece — Liberty  and  Light. 
SUBJECTS. 

PAGE 

Foreword — To    Freemasons 9 

Introduction— By  T.  K 15 

To    Catholics 21 

The  Grand  Architect  of  the  Universe 27 

The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 39 

Freemasonry  as  an  Institution 55 

Freemasonry  as  a  Fraternity 73 

Freemasonry  as  a  Science  of  Ethics 89 

Freemasonry  as  a  Philosophy  of  Life 101 

Freemasonry  as  a  Great  School 117 

The   Origin   of   Freemasonry  as   a  School   of   Pro- 
gressive Moral  Science 141 

Freemasonry  as  a  Great  Work 165 

Freemasonry  as  a  World  Power  versus  Clericalism.  177 

Facts   and    References 201 

The   Pope's   Politics 217 

The  Eeal  Issues 229 

The  Balance  of  Power   259 

Roman  Clericalism — A  Menace  to  Civilization — The 

Worst  Enemy  of  Man 277 

The  Crusade .  309 


"The  policy  of  the  Church  of 
Rome  is  the  very  masterpiece  of  hu- 
man wisdom.  The  experience  of 
twelve  hundred  eventful  years,  the 
ingenuity  and  patient  care  of  forty 
generations  of  statesmen,  have  im- 
proved that  policy  to  such  perfec- 
tion that,  among  the  contrivances 
that  have  been  devised  for  deceiv- 
ing and  controlling  mankind,  it  oc- 
cupies the  highest  place." — Lord 
Macaulay. 


FOREWORD. 


To  FREEMASONS. 

This  little  book  has  been  written  in  an- 
swer to  the  oft-repeated  question — "Has 
any  brother  anything  to  offer  for  the  good 
of  Masonry  ?"  The  following  pages  are 
the  author's  answer  to  that  question.  He 
can  hardly  hope  that  every  brother  Mason 
will  agree  with  his  views  of  either  Free- 
masonry or  Clericalism.  All  he  asks  is 
that  they  read  and  consider  the  facts  here- 
in set  forth  and  their  logical  bearing  on  the 
signs  of  the  times  and  the  living  issues  of 
the  day. 

While  he  has  endeavored  to  make  the 
matters  herein  discussed  exceedingly  plain, 
and  has  re-stated  the  same  problems  in 
various  forms  (sometimes,  perhaps,  at  the 
expense  of  mere  literary  form  in  composi- 
tion) he  feels  that  failure  at  that  point  is 
of  little  consequence  compared  with  clear- 

9 


10 The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

ness  as  to  principles  involved.  He  feels 
that  no  intelligent  brother  need  be  in  any 
doubt  as  to  what  the  author  is  driving  at, 
how  he  regards  it,  or  what — for  one — he 
proposes  to  do  about  it. 

The  issues  involved  are  so  momentous, 
striking  as  they  do  at  the  very  foundations 
of  our  whole  civilization,  that  to  evade,  ob- 
scure, or  ignore  them  entirely,  as  many  do, 
seems  to  the  author  little  short  of  criminal. 
The  earnestness  he  feels  regarding  these 
issues  and  their  present  immanence,  must 
account  for  the  emphasis  employed  in  han- 
dling them. 

Good  men  may  indeed  differ  as  to  dogma 
and  individual  opinions  regarding  matters 
of  philosophy  or  theology.  But  when  men 
differ  as  to  Freedom  or  Despotism;  the 
rights  of  conscience  or  the  enslavement  of 
the  human  soul,  when  the  issues  are  clearly 
defined  and  well  understood,  and  the  de- 
cision is  deliberately  made  and  we  have 
taken  sides;  then,  indeed,  there  can  be  no 
compromise,  no  quarter  shown.  Then  it  is 
war,  uncompromising,  and  must  be  fought 
to  victory,  defeat,  or  destruction. 

Clericalism  has  been  made  herein  to  tell 


Foreword 11 

its  own  story  and  define  its  own  claims. 
Hence  it  stands,  as  three  men  once  stood 
near  the  coast  of  Joppa,  convicted  by  the 
imprecations  of  their  own  mouths.  In  its 
efforts  to  destroy  Liberty  in  Russia  and 
southern  Europe,  Clericalism  has  impover- 
ished and  embittered  the  people,  converted 
Catholics  into  atheists — according  to  their 
own  accounts — and  virtually  has  destroyed 
itself.*  It  is  now  inaugurating  in  America 
the  same  crusade  in  which  it  has  met  de- 
feat everywhere  else. 

If  these  things  are  so — and  no  honest  or 
well  posted  individual  can  deny  them — 
nothing  on  earth  or  amongst  men  can 
transcend  them  in  importance.  The  reader 
who  goes  carefully  over  the  following 
pages  is  left  free  to  form  his  own  conclu- 
sions and  determine  his  own  line  of  action. 

The  author  regards  the  view  of  Free- 
masonry herein  set  forth  as  equally  true, 
and  equally  important. 

In  a  former  work,  "Mystic  Masonry ", 
published  nearly  ten  years  ago,  very  sim- 
ilar views  of  Masonry  were  set  forth. 

*8ee  article  by  Thomas  McGrady  in  July  Arena,  1907. 


12 The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

These  views,  while  appealing  to  the  more 
studious  and  thoughtful  among  the  Craft, 
have  received  commendation  from  Masons 
in  nearly  every  quarter  of  the  globe,  no 
less  than  from  Fraters  in  the  United 
States. 

The  basis  for  the  concepts  therein  given 
was  first,  the  most  ancient  philosophy  of 
old  India,  known  in  many  ages  and  under 
many  names,  but  more  recently  as  '  *  Theos- 
ophy",  as  this  is  taught  in  the  "Secret 
Doctrine".  Logical  analogy  and  the  phi- 
losophical sequence  of  the  law  of  Evolu- 
tion were  held  as  justifying  the  view  of 
true  Masonry  therein  set  forth.  Beyond 
this,  the  author's  own  intuitions,  the  con- 
ception that  beneath  the  verbiage  and 
whole  ritual  of  Masonry  and  the  dramatic 
ceremonies  of  initiation  there  must  lie  con- 
cealed far  more  than  the  surface  reveals. 

The  author  was,  moreover,  somewhat 
familiar  with  the  Kaballah,  particularly  as 
set  forth  by  his  friend,  the  late  Ralston 
Skinner  (author  of  "The  Source  of  Meas- 
ures, ' '  and  of  other  unpublished  MSS,  cop- 
ies of  which  are  in  the  author's  present 
possession).  The  clues  to  the  secret  vault 


Foreword  13 

were  thus  by  no  means  meager  nor  ob- 
scure. 

Since  the  publication  of  *  *  Mystic  Mason- 
ry", however,  the  author  has  had  the  good 
fortune  to  become  intimately  acquainted 
with  the  author  of  "The  Great  Work", 
who  is  not  only  a  Brother  Mason,  but  a 
real  Master  as  the  term  is  defined  in ' '  Mys- 
tic Masonry".  He  has,  therefore,  been  able 
to  verify  most  of  the  statements  and  in- 
ferences made  in  his  previous  book,  and  to 
justify  the  statements  herein  contained,  so 
far  as  Masonry  and  the  Great  School  are 
concerned. 

This  book  is,  therefore,  addressed  to 
Brother  Masons,  particularly  in  America, 
for  the  express  purpose  and  with  the 
strong  hope  of  inducing  them  to  awaken, 
take  notice,  and  act  as  seemeth  to  them 
all  just  and  upright  men  and  Masons 
ought. 


Politically — Borne  today  holds  the 
balance  of  power  in  America  and 
uses  it  unscrupulously  to  further  its 
ambitions.  It  haa  the  public  press, 
edited,  boycotted  or  under  the  con- 
spiracy of  silence  solely  in  its  in- 
terest, and  is  making  rapid  progress 
in  undermining  or  destroying  our 
Free  Public  Schools. 

"The  church  itself  is  the  divine 
witness,  preacher,  judge  of  the  reve- 
lation intrusted  to  it.  There  exists 
no  other.  There  is  no  tribunal  to 
which  appeal  from  the  church  can 
lie.  There  is  no  coordinate  witness, 
teacher  or  judge  who  can  revise  or 
criticise  or  test  the  teachings  of 
the  church.  It  is  sole  and  alone  in 
the  world.  It  belongs  to  the  church 
alone  to  determine  the  limits  of  its 
own  infallibility."— Cardinal  Man- 
ning. 


INTRODUCTION. 


For  the  purpose  of  solving  a  problem  of 
the  most  vital  and  immediate  importance, 
let  us  suppose  that  an  exigency  has  arisen 
within  the  Masonic  Fraternity  which  makes 
it  necessary  for  the  Order  to  know  how 
many  of  the  2,000,000  or  more  members  of 
the  Craft  in  the  United  States  are  men  of 
real  and  unqualified  Courage  and  how 
many  are  Cowards. 

To  that  end,  let  us  assume  that  the 
Grand  Officers  of  the  Grand  Bodies  of  the 
several  states  have  appointed  their  in- 
quisitorial committees  for  the  purpose  of 
making  a  most  searching  examination  of 
each  and  every  individual  member  of  the 
Fraternity  within  their  several  jurisdic- 
tions. 

In  pursuance  of  such  an  undertaking, 
let  us  further  assume  that  each  and  every 
individual  member  of  the  Craft  within  the 

15 


16 The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

United  States  has  been  duly  summoned  be- 
fore such  committee,  there  to  answer  such 
questions  as  may  be  put  to  him  touching 
his  Courage,  both  Physical  and  Moral. 

And  finally,  let  us  suppose  that  among 
the  questions  he  is  required  to  answer  are 
the  following: 

1.  What  is  Physical  Courage? 

2.  What  is  Moral  Courage? 

3.  Have  you  the  degree  and  quality  of 
Courage  that  would  enable  you  to  stand 
up,  in  the  presence  of  the  whole  world,  and 
without  fear  declare  yourself  a  Free  and 
Accepted  Mason,  if  you  knew  that  by  so 
doing  you  would  invoke  the  bitter  and  re- 
lentless hatred  of  some  15,000,000  people 
within  the  limits  of  your  own  country? 

4.  Have  you  the  degree  and  quality  of 
Courage  that  would  enable  you  to  do  such 
a  thing,  well  knowing  that  these  15,000,000 
of  your  fellow  citizens  have  been  carefully 
educated  to  regard  you  as  their  enemy,  and 
commanded  by  their  Italian  Monarch  to 
treat  you  as  such? 

5.  Have  you  the  degree  and  quality  of 
Courage  to  make  such  a  public  declaration, 
knowing  also  that  these  15,000,000  hostile 


Introduction 17 

people  and  those  who  rule  them  boast  of 
the  fact  that  they  "never  forget  an  injury 
nor  forgive  an  enemy?" 

6.  If  you  knew  that  it  is  the  deliberate 
purpose  of  these  15,000,000  of  your  ene- 
mies, under  the  guidance  and  command  of 
their  Italian  Euler,  to  destroy  the  Public 
Schools  of  this  country  in  order  thereby  to 
keep  the  rising  generations  in  ignorance 
and  through  such  ignorance  hold  them  in 
physical,  mental,  moral  and  spiritual  bond- 
age ;  would  you  have  the  degree  and  qual- 
ity of  Courage  publicly  to  align  yourself 
against  them? 

7.  If  you  knew  these  things  to  be  abso- 
lutely true,  would  you  still  have  the  de- 
gree and  quality  of  Courage  that  would  en- 
able you  to  go  into  the  field,  to  the  polls, 
upon  the  rostrum,  into  the  pulpit  and  the 
press,  and  upon  the  lecture  platform,  or 
wherever  else  it  may  be  necessary  and 
proper  for  a  law-abiding  citizen  to  go,  and 
there  oppose  them  with  all  your  intelli- 
gence and  power! 

8.  If  you  knew  that  these  15,000,000 
people,  inspired  by  their  Italian  Sovereign 
in  Rome,  were  united  into  one  solid 


18 The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

organized  force  for  the  purpose,  among 
other  things,  of  destroying  Freemasonry 
and  its  influence  in  this  country,  and  for 
that  purpose  already  have  secret  emis- 
saries and  spies  in  many  of  our  Masonic 
Lodges  throughout  the  land;  would  you 
have  the  degree  and  quality  of  Courage 
that  would  impel  you  to  become  an  active 
and  intelligent  factor  to  prevent  such  a 
calamity? 

9.  If  you  knew  that  this  Italian  Master 
of  our  American  people,  backed  by  his 
Italian    Cabinet   at   Rome,   had   actually 
thrown  down  the  gage  of  battle  to  the 
Masonic  Fraternity  and  every  individual 
Freemason  of  this  country,  had  challenged 
them  to  mortal  combat,  and  had  enlisted 
all  the  forces  at  his  command  to  support 
him  in  the  contest ;  would  you  still  have  the 
degree  and  quality  of  Courage  to  declare 
yourself  a  true  and  loyal  Brother  Mason, 
take  up  the  gage  of  battle,  and  do  your  best 
to  defeat  him? 

10.  If  you  knew  that  this  Italian  Poten- 
tate, realizing  his  waning  power  in  other 
countries,  had  centered  all  his  energies 
upon  flooding  this  country  with  his  igno- 


Introduction 19 

rant  and  superstitious  subjects  for  the  pur- 
pose of  controlling  the  political  destiny  of 
your  own  beloved  land ;  would  you  have  the 
degree  and  quality  of  Courage  to  stand  up 
and  be  counted  on  the  side  of  Masonic  Lib- 
erty and  American  Freedom! 

Let  us  suppose  that  such  a  list  of  ques- 
tions as  this,  including  many  more  of  equal 
import,  were  propounded  to  each  and 
every  Freemason  throughout  the  land,  it 
would  be  a  matter  of  the  most  profound  in- 
terest to  the  future  of  this  country  and  its 
institutions  to  determine  whether  there  is 
even  so  many  as  one  real  Coward  in  our 
ranks. 

I  have  read  the  manuscript  of  the  suc- 
ceeding pages  of  this  little  volume,  and  if  I 
have  sensed  the  meaning  and  import  of  it, 
its  author  has  therein  delivered  to  his  fel- 
low Craftsmen  a  Sign  and  a  Summons  to 
which  every  true  and  loyal  Brother  Mason 
is  bound  by  the  most  sacred  and  binding 
Obligation  to  respond,  and  respond  imme- 
diately. 

He  has  stated  in  the  clearest  and  most 
explicit  terms  possible,  the  Great  Issue 
which  the  Church  of  Eome  has  thrust  upon 


20 The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

Freemasonry  in  this  western  country.  He 
has  made  it  equally  clear  that  Freemason- 
ry and  Freemasons  have  not  sought  the 
Issue.  In  truth,  it  is  because  they  have 
ignored  it  as  long  as  it  is  possible  for  them 
to  do  so  without  branding  themselves  with 
the  badge  of  "Cowardice,"  that  he  has 
deemed  it  his  fraternal  duty  to  place  the 
Issue  before  them  in  such  manner  that 
they  cannot  fail  to  recognize  its  claims 
upon  their  immediate  attention. 

My  Brother,  have  you  the  degree  and 
quality  of  Courage  to  meet  the  Issue 
squarely  and  deal  with  it  like  a  Free  Man 
and  Mason? 

TK 
Author  of  "The  Great  Work." 

Chicago,  Oct.  28,  1907. 


TO  CATHOLICS. 


The  author  has  little  expectation  that 
Catholics  will  read  these  pages ;  or,  if  they 
do  read,  will  credit  the  author  with  either 
sincerity  or  with  good  will  toward  them. 
The  real  cause  of  the  fact  that  they  will 
not  be  permitted  to  do  the  one,  or  are  un- 
able to  do  the  other,  is  the  very  thing 
against  which  the  authir^sb  strongly  pro- 
tests ;  for  it  involves  f ^e^rom  of  conscience 
and  the  right  of  privalfe^udgment  which 
Clericalism  denies. 

That  thousands  of  nominal  or  professed 
Catholics  in  this  country  today,  as  law- 
abiding  and  useful  citizens  deserve  respect 
and  courteous  consideration,  is  undeniable. 
As  fast  as  their  eyes  are  really  opened  to 
the  claims  and  practices  of  Politico-Cler- 
icalism they  become  nominal  Catholics,  or 
incur  the  ban  of  the  Church,  first  as  "here- 
tics", and  finally  as  " atheists". 

21 


22 The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

If  these  are  unable  to  distinguish  be- 
tween the  central  body  and  power  of  the 
Catholic  Hierarchy  and  the  laity  in  gen- 
eral, they  will  no  doubt  feel  greatly  out- 
raged at  the  statements  herein  set  forth. 

If  the  Hierarchy  at  Borne  would  let  poli- 
tics alone  and  keep  their  unholy  hands  off 
our  free  institutions,  the  present  writer 
would  feel  in  no  way  impelled  to  attack  the 
so-called  Catholic  religion.  It  might  then 
take  its  chances  and  stand  on  its  merits — 
or  its  defects — as  all  others  must  do  in  a 
free  country. 

Hostility  towar^fpatholicism  is  fully 
justified  by  the  J^tUity  of  its  governing 
body  toward  all  our  free  institutions.  One 
may  hate  Politico-Ecclesiasticism,  how- 
ever, as  one  hates  treason  and  crime,  and 
yet  feel  no  ill  will  toward  any  individual. 

When,  therefore,  Ecclesiasticism  seeks 
to  destroy  Freedom  in  America,  every  true 
American  is  bound  to  do  his  best  and  his 
utmost  to  destroy  Ecclesiastical  rule,  and 
do  his  utmost  to  defeat  its  power  in  Amer- 
ica. 

Ecclesiasticism  represents  a  despotic  po- 
litical policy.  Catholicism,  as  a  religion 


To  Catholics 23 

among  the  people,  represents,  or  is  repre- 
sented by  men,  often  by  good  men.  These 
are  seldom  aware  to  what  extent  they  are 
used  to  further  this  political  policy  under 
the  guise  of  Religion.  Their  ignorance, 
however,  at  this  point  is  a  political  asset 
of  the  Roman  Pontiff,  and  every  lover  of 
Freedom  is  bound  to  disregard  it  or  op- 
pose it. 

Against  Catholics,  therefore,  as  individ- 
uals, the  author  holds  no  ill  will.  The  pol- 
icy he  advocates  of  suppressing  the  politi- 
cal power  of  the  Roman  Pontiff  in  Amer- 
ica, if  successful,  would  leave  every  Catho- 
lic here  a  wiser,  freer  and  better  man  then 
before. 

The  author  desires  to  place  himself  thus 
on  record  in  the  beginning  of  this  little 
book,  not,  however,  with  any  great  ex- 
pectation that  it  will  be  read  by  professed 
Catholics,  or  that  those  who  do  read  it 
will  all  be  just  to  either  his  motives  or  his 
utterances.  To  anticipate  such  a  thing, 
would  imply  that  their  eyes  are  already 
partially  opened  to  the  despotism  sought 
to  be  maintained  and  enforced  against 
them  in  the  name  of  religion. 


24 The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

If  they  were  at  all  wise,  they  would  in- 
form themselves  as  to  the  status  of  Ec- 
clesiasticism  in  Russia  and  southern  Eu- 
rope today,  and  the  causes  that  have  led 
to  its  defeat  and  threaten  its  annihilation. 
The  Church  attributes  it  to  ''atheism",  ig- 
noring the  fact  that  Clericalism  is  wholly 
and  absolutely  responsible  for  this  atheism. 
It  is  the  logical  and  inevitable  reaction 
from  and  result  of  despotic  Ecclesiastic- 
ism. 

There  is  an  impulse  to  Freedom  planted 
deep  in  the  human  soul  by  the  Creator  of 
man's  being,  and  never  till  it  awakens  does 
man  realize  his  birthright  and  evolve  to 
higher  planes  of  life.  Previous  to  this 
awakening  he  is  either  a  slave  to  his  own 
animal  nature  or  held  in  the  bondage  of 
superstition  and  fear  by  some  despot  who 
claims  the  right  to  rule  him  "by  the  grace 
of  God,"  either  in  the  name  of  religion,  or 
by  the  power  of  political  prerogative. 

When  he  awakens,  rational  volition  and 
personal  responsibility  are  the  exact  meas- 
ure of  his  "inalienable  right  to  Life,  Lib- 
erty and  the  pursuit  of  Happiness".  Cath- 
olics have  awakened  in  Russia  and  Europe, 


To  Catholics 25 

and  hence  Despotism,  under  the  name  of 
Religion,  dies,  and  Freedom  is  born.  To 
retard  this  freedom  and  bring  it  into  dis- 
repute, the  Pontiff  and  his  emissaries  call 
it  "atheism",  and  with  all  the  "thunders 
of  the  Vatican"  curse  it!  It  is  their  last 
"argument",  and  the  supply  seems  quite 
inexhaustible. 

Catholics  are  beginning  to  realize,  how- 
ever, that  this  kind  of  "thunder"  is  as 
harmless  as  any  other,  and  the  Liberal 
Party  within  the  Church  is,  accordingly, 
increasing  rapidly.  Many  priests,  espe- 
cially among  the  Jesuits,  are  "atheists", 
according  to  Catholic  authors.  This  is  the 
result  of  despotic  Clericalism  and  the 
"double  doctrine"  of  Borne. 

The  author  of  this  little  book  has  at 
heart  the  happiness  and  well-being  of 
Catholics,  no  less  than  of  all  other  men. 
He  would  destroy  that  despotism  that  en- 
slaves them,  and  hail  them  as  brothers  of 
our  Common  Humanity. 


"The  very  foundation  principles 
of  the  Roman  Church  make  the  rec- 
ognition of  personal  religious  lib- 
erty logically,  intellectually,  and 
morally  impossible." — James  M. 
King. 


THE  GRAND  ARCHITECT  OF  THE 
UNIVERSE. 


The  conception  of  the  Builder  is  basic 
and  everywhere  manifest  in  Freemasonry. 
Hiram,  the  Master  Builder,  who  drew  the 
plans  of  the  temple  and  day  by  day  placed 
the  "designs  on  the  trestleboard",  is  tak- 
en as  a  human  symbol  of  the  Designer  and 
Creator  of  the  Cosmos.  The  relation  of 
Hiram  to  the  Temple  symbolizes  the  rela- 
tion of  the  G.  A.  0.  T.  U.  to  the  Universe 
itself. 

In  the  building  of  the  Temple  the  work 
of  construction  fell  to  the  Entered  Appren- 
tices and  Fellowcrafts.  When  the  Temple 
was  completed  these  also  were  to  become 
Masters  and  receive  the  Word.  The  pro- 
gressive science  of  human  life,  and  the 
natural,  orderly  and  progressive  relation 
of  man  to  God,  were  thus  involved  and 
ingrained,  without  dogmatizing  or  theolo- 

27 


28 The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

gizing.  It  was  illustrated  and  left  to  the 
apprehension  and  intelligence  of  the  candi- 
date. 

This  method  of  teaching,  and  the  lesson 
taught,  is  the  supremacy  of  human  wisdom. 
It  involves  the  idea  of  progressive  intelli- 
gence which,  loyal  to  truth,  duty  and  ob- 
ligation, assures  the  higher  and  still  high- 
er evolution  of  man.  It  is  based  on  the 
facts  of  human  observation  and  experi- 
ence. 

Man  is  an  Individual  Intelligence;  God 
the  Universal  Intelligence.  The  growth 
of  intelligence  in  man;  his  conformity  to 
law  and  order;  his  allegiance  to  duty  and 
obligation ;  his  proficiency  in  all  preceding 
work  or  degrees — give  him  the  right,  and 
secure  for  him  the  benefit  of  higher  de- 
grees of  knowledge,  power  and  privilege. 

This  is  not  "argued  out".  It  is  illus- 
trated by  a  personal  experience,  and  dem- 
onstrated at  every  step.  The  personal  ex- 
perience that  is  thus  secured  brings  the 
man  constantly  nearer  to  the  Master,  as  it 
brings  the  Master  nearer  to  God. 

What  our  ancient  brethren  in  the  Great- 
er Mysteries  called  "the  Immortal  Gods", 


The  Grand  Architect 29 

were  simply  perfected  by  this  normal  hu- 
man evolution.  "  First  a  man,  then  a 
Master,  then  a  God. ' ' 

The  theologians  who  have  made  such  a 
caricature  or  a  fetish  of  Jesus,  were  igno- 
rant of  this  normal,  progressive,  higher 
evolution  of  man.  No  man  of  intelligence 
nowadays  will  assume  that  the  practice  of 
the  precepts  under  consideration  can  have 
any  other  result  than  this  higher  evolution. 
Neither  can  he  determine  any  limits  to  the 
process  and  possibilities  of  such  evolution, 

Hence,  the  theologian  has  created  an  im- 
passable gulf  between  the  man  Jesus  and 
the  Christ ;  or  between  man  and  God ;  thus 
annulling  the  wages  of  an  upright  life.  To 
patch  up  the  inconsistency  and  bridge  the 
gulf  thus  created,  they  invented  the  Vicari- 
ous Atonement,  the  application  of  which 
Clericalism  proceeded  to  preempt  and  to 
monopolize.  Preach  and  theorize  as  they 
may,  they  make  an  upright  life  and  a  dis- 
solute one  practically  equal. 

The  just  and  upright  man,  who,  never- 
theless, denies  the  creed  and  refuses  tithes 
for  Mass,  if  murdered  by  a  villain,  or  by 
priests  under  the  charge  of  heresy,  is 


30 The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

bound  for  hades;  while  his  murderer,  by 
confession  and  "fixing"  it  up  with  the 
cleric,  gains  absolution  and  goes  to  heaven. 

No  greater  abomination  in  morals  was 
ever  practiced  upon  the  children  of  men. 
The  "sinner"  sees  the  point,  compromises 
with  his  conscience  and  his  sense  of  per- 
sonal responsibility,  and — "takes  his 
chances".  Such  a  doctrine  can  have  but 
one  result,  viz.,  to  blunt  the  moral  sense. 

Strictly  speaking,  there  is  no  theology 
in  Freemasonry.  It  does  not  speculate  re- 
garding the  Being  of  God.  It  recognizes 
certain  self-evident  propositions.  As  In- 
telligence designs  the  Temple,  so  Intelli- 
gence designs,  builds,  governs  and  beauti- 
fies the  Universe.  The  analogy  is  self-evi- 
dent. 

What  Intelligence  is,  we  do  not  know. 
What  it  does,  we  see  everywhere  around 
us.  We  see  how  it  grows,  to  what  uses  it 
can  be  applied,  and  how  the  highest  and 
noblest  results  can  be  attained.  We  learn 
this  beyond  all  controversy  from  the  facts 
of  human  experience. 

Selfishness,  debauchery  and  uncharita- 
bleness  degrade  man  toward  the  brute. 


The  Grand  Architect 31 

Self-control,  the  recognition  of  personal 
responsibility  and  loving-kindness  lead 
man  upward  to  Mastership  and  toward 
Divinity. 

The  analogy  is  complete  between  man  as 
the  builder  of  character  through  self-con- 
trol; man,  the  builder  of  temples  from  in- 
telligent designs;  man,  the  builder  of  so- 
ciety through  Brotherly  Love,  Belief  and 
Truth;  and  God,  the  Builder  of  Worlds — 
the  " Grand  Architect  of  the  Universe",  in 
all,  through  all,  and  over  all. 

Man  everywhere  and  at  all  times  creates 
his  own  concept,  his  own  idea  of  God. 
Every  nation  and  each  religion  has  its 
Divinity.  Philosophers,  and  even  poets, 
like  Watts,  are  God-builders.  Listen  to 
Watts: 

"His  nostrils  breathe  out  living  flames. 

He's  a  consuming  fire, 
His  jealous  eyes  his  wrath  inflames 

To  raise  his  vengeance  higher." 

"Infants  not  a  span  long"  would  in- 
deed be  a  "dainty  dish"  for  such  a  being. 
Could  man  have  done  much  worse  had  he 
never  heard  or  dreamed  of  God  at  all? 


32 The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

The  atheist,  however,  in  trying  to  escape 
from  these  caricatures  of  Deity,  and  in 
denying  Divinity  altogether,  is  wholly  il- 
logical. The  atheist  is  also  the  creation  of 
theologians.  The  antithesis  does  not  lie 
between  the  "God  of  the  heathen",  or  of 
Watts,  and  no  God;  but  between  the  God 
of  Fear  and  Superstition,  and  the  God  of 
Love,  Reason  and  Justice. 

The  postulate  of  Divinity,  this  concept 
of  the  Grand  Architect  of  the  Universe 
found  in  Freemasonry,  is,  like  all  others, 
the  creation  of  man.  As  an  incentive  to 
adoration  and  worship,  as  a  conception  ap- 
prehensible to  the  human  mind,  and  im- 
plying a  relation  to  man  that  constantly 
draws  him  nearer  to  God  and  forms  the 
basis  of  ethics  for  the  building  of  char- 
acter, it  has  no  equal  in  the  history  of 
human  thought,  or  the  intelligent  concep- 
tion of  man. 

While  theologies  are  going  to  pieces,  and 
men  imagine  they  can  get  along  without 
God  and  are  willing  to  be  called  "athe- 
ists", here  lies  the  strongest  bulwark  for 
the  preservation  of  that  spirit  of  reverence 
and  devotion  which  elevates  and  ennobles 


The  Grand  Architect 33 

man.  Such  a  concept  is  indeed  a  "strong 
anchor"  to  the  human  soul. 

This  recognition  of  Divinity  in  Masonry 
is  of  such  a  character  and  is  used  in  such  a 
way  as  to  give  no  offense  to  a  Brother  of 
any  religious  faith,  be  he  Jew,  Christian, 
Buddhist,  or  a  believer  in  any  other  of 
the  world's  great  religions.  Coming  as  it 
does  from  remote  antiquity,  the  concept 
worked  out  by  Masters  of  human  thought 
and  noble  living  in  the  Greater  Mysteries 
of  antiquity,  and  commensurate  with  the 
highest  intelligence  of  any  age;  avoiding 
crass  materialism  and  atheism  on  the  one 
hand,  and  fanaticism  and  fetishism  on  the 
other ;  it  stands  as  a  boon,  a  priceless  jewel 
to  the  human  race. 

This  does  not  imply  that  the  intelligent 
mind,  the  reverent  and  devout  soul,  cannot 
enlarge  on  the  concept.  The  range  of  hu- 
man intelligence  as  a  " spark  of  Divinity" 
seems  practically  infinite.  It  does  mean, 
however,  that  it  stands  as  a  consistent, 
wise  and  inspiring  theorem,  a  consensus  of 
human  thought,  reverent,  reasonable,  con- 
sistent and  uplifting. 

This   recognition   of  Divinity  is   never 


34  The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

overlooked  nor  forgotten  in  the  Lodge 
room.  It  can  never  there  be  degraded  to 
a  fetish.  It  is  not  involved  in  words  and 
ceremonies  that  can  ever  degenerate  into 
"lip  service".  As  already  shown,  it  can 
never  give  offense  nor  excite  controversy 
except  by  misinterpretation,  and  by  being 
misapplied;  and  this  would  be  wholly  un- 
Masonic. 

There  has  been  a  tendency,  at  certain 
times  and  in  certain  directions  to  "Chris- 
tianize" certain  Masonic  degrees.  Any  sec- 
tarian or  religious  bias  given  to  any  de- 
gree in  Masonry  is  wholly  un-Masonic  and 
wholly  opposed  to  the  real  Genius  of  Free- 
masonry. 

The  whole  of  true  Masonry  is  potential- 
ly embodied  in  the  first  three  degrees. 
Beautiful,  impressive  and  sublime  as  are 
some  of  the  so-called  higher  degrees,  they 
all  have  their  root  in,  and  take  their  rise 
from  the  Blue  Lodge,  and  must  be  held  con- 
sistent with  that  body. 

There  are  not  only  many  concepts  of 
the  Supreme  Being,  but  many  names  by 
which  these  concepts  have  been  designated. 
Among  the  Jews  from  whom  a  great  deal 


The  Grand  Architect 35 

of  the  Masonic  ritual  is  derived  and  legends 
adapted,  there  were  several  of  these 
God-names  involving  certain  attributes  of 
Deity.  The  same  is  true  of  the  Hindoo, 
Persian  and  many  other  ancient  peoples 
and  religions.  To  give  any  one  of  these 
words,  or  God-names,  supremacy  above  all 
others  and  call  it  the  true  word,  or  the 
"real  word",  with  no  reason  or  explana- 
tion therefor,  is  a  mere  conceit  bordering 
on  dogma. 

The  real  Word  is  not  a  mere  matter  of 
phonetics,  an  empty  sound  "signifying 
nothing".  Words,  at  best,  and  at  most, 
are  symbols  of  the  intelligent  concepts  of 
man;  and  as  Bro.  Albert  Pike  abundantly 
showed,  if  any  one  word  known  to  man  in 
any  language  can  convey  the  meaning  of 
the  "Lost  Word",  it  is  the  Sanscrit  A  U  M. 

But  this  involves  a  whole  philosophy  of 
man  and  the  Universe.  It  also  involves  the 
science  of  Phonetics,  up  to  Marconi — and 
beyond;  the  synchronous  vibration  of  the 
being  of  man  with  both  God  and  Nature. 

It  were  better  for  the  enlightenment  of 
the  Craft  had  no  attempt  been  made  to  en- 
large or  improve  upon  the  concept  of 


36 The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

G.  A.  O.  T.  U.,  and  that  every  just  and  up- 
right Mason  should  remember,  apprehend 
and  reverence  the  Builder  and  the  Sus- 
tainer  of  man,  the  Light  of  the  Universe. 

If  the  sincere  and  thoughtful  Mason 
would  "take  notice"  of  the  symbolism  and 
the  use  made  everywhere  in  the  Lodge  of 
the  word  "Light",  and  remember  that  the 
real  Initiates  are  called  also  "the  Illum- 
inati",  (Sons  of  Light), — those  who  are 
illumined,  and  who  in  turn  illuminate, — 
he  might  gather  clues  of,  not  only  the 
whole  symbolism  of  Masonry,  but  also  of 
the  real  "Word". 

Light  and  Love  are  the  most  significant 
omnific  words.  Nor  is  this  true  in  a  figura- 
tive sense  only.  Often  has  the  refined  spir- 
itual vision  of  men  "discerned  a  light", 
and  presently,  a  "radiant  Being  in  the 
midst  thereof",  when  it  was  seen  that  the 
Being  emanated  the  light.  The  halo  around 
the  heads  of  saints  is  not  a  purely  human 
invention,  and  the  transfiguration  of  Jesus 
will  one  day  be  explained  and  apprehended 
as  naturally  as  the  "waves"  of  Marconi. 

The  concepts  of  the  human  mind  are 
everywhere  undergoing  refinement,  as  man 


The  Grand  Architect  37 

rises  in  the  scale  of  human  evolution.  With 
all  this  progress  and  refinement,  and  with 
these  wonderful  discoveries  regarding 
"Nature's  Finer  Forces",  it  will  still  be 
found  that  in  the  symbolism  of  Freema- 
sonry there  was  planted  a  real  knowledge 
capable  of  unfolding,  and  destined  to  un- 
fold for,  lo,  these  many  generations. 

To  all  of  these  profound  secrets,  the  con- 
cept of  "the  Grand  Architect  of  the  Uni- 
verse "  stands,  and  will  forever  remain  the 
' '  Kock  of  Ages ' ' ;  the  acme  and  the  epitome 
of  human  wisdom  as  a  concept  of  Divinity. 


"Every  Catholic  should  rigidly 
adhere  to  the  teachings  of  the  Ro- 
man pontiffs,  especially  in  the  mat- 
ter of  modern  liberty,  which  al- 
ready, under  the  semblance  of  hon- 
esty of  purpose,  leads  to  error  and 
destruction." — Pope  Leo  XIII. 
(1885). 


THE  GENIUS  OF  FREEMASONRY. 


By  the  term  '  *  Genius ' '  is  meant  the  con- 
cept, or  idea  embodied,  the  method  pur- 
sued, and  the  result  attained  in  realizing 
that  idea.  This  means  the  realizing  of  a 
Living  Truth.  In  Masonic  language,  this 
is  the  creation  ("constitute  and  create") 
of  a  Master  according  to  the  designs  upon 
the  trestleboard.  A  Genius  is  a  living  em- 
bodiment of  a  concrete  form.  We  read  of 
the  "Genius"  of  Greece,  or  of  Athens,  or 
of  the  Roman  people.  It  is  a  composite 
picture,  endowed  with  life  and  is  at  once 
a  potency,  an  idea  and  a  realization. 

In  order  to  comprehend  the  Genius  of 
Freemasonry  we  must  know  a  good  deal 
about  man,  and  the  meaning  of  the  Work 
of  the  Lodge,  or  the  process  and  logical 
results  of  Initiation.  If  comparatively  few 
Masons  actually  realize  these  results,  that 
is  solely  their  own  fault  and  also  their 
misfortune.  It  cannot  be  charged  to  Ma- 

39 


40 The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

sonry  itself,  unless  it  can  be  shown  to  be 
defective  at  some  point.  The  fact  is,  the 
more  carefully  and  deeply  we  study  the 
Work  of  the  Lodge  and  the  Genius  of  Ma- 
sonry the  more  we  are  impressed  with  its 
transcendent  wisdom,  its  beneficent  results, 
and  the  completeness  of  its  Genius  as  a 
living  embodiment  of  truth. 

The  appeal  here  is  being  made  to  Masons 
themselves.  For  only  they  are  competent 
to  judge  of  the  designs  on  the  trestleboard 
and  the  execution  of  the  work.  That  out- 
siders should  be  incredulous  or  deny  any 
such  Genius  possible  to  Freemasonry,  need 
not  surprise  us;  for  it  is  to  be  found  no- 
where else  today. 

So  far  as  the  essentials  of  human  life 
are  concerned  the  Genius  of  Freemasonry 
is  not  only  abreast  of  modern  science  and 
the  whole  philosophy  of  evolution,  but  it 
clearly  apprehends  principles  and  fore- 
shadows results  that  elsewhere  are  scarce- 
ly dreamed  of  today. 

Furthermore:  there  is  involved  in,  and 
concealed  behind  this  Genius  of  Freema- 
sonry, a  practical  knowledge  of  the  powers 
of  the  human  soul,  of  its  triumph  over 


The  Genius  of  Freemasonry  41 

death,  and  of  its  existence  beyond  the 
"Great  Divide". 

I  am  very  well  aware  that  this  statement 
will  be  received  by  not  a  few  Masons  with 
incredulity,  perhaps  with  a  shrug  of  the 
shoulders.  To  all  such  I  have  only  to  say 
—pass  it  by.  I  am  writing  only  for  the 
open  mind  and  the  listening  ear,  and  would 
not,  if  I  could,  compel  any  one  to  listen. 

Until  a  mine  is  carefully  explored  and 
its  mineral  carefully  assayed  no  one  can 
possibly  know  what  it  contains.  When  the 
ore  is  carefully  assayed  and  found  to  be 
pure  gold  the  stockholders  are  not  in  the 
least  disturbed  when  some  careless  individ- 
ual calls  the  wealth  discovered  and 
"brought  to  light"— "Fool's  Gold  after 
all".  True,  the  assayer  must  have  had 
some  previous  knowledge  of  chemistry  and 
mineralogy,  else  his  report  would  be  alto- 
gether unreliable  and  worthless.  One  must 
seek  in  order  to  find,  and  when  found  be 
able  to  discriminate  as  to  values. 

Now  let  us  see. 

Man  is  a  self-conscious,  individualized 
Intelligence.  In  relation  to  this  concept 
God  is  the  Universal  Intelligence. 


42 The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

The  most  transcendent  problem  that  the 
mind  of  man  is  capable  of  conceiving  is 
that  of  the  natural,  orderly  and  progres- 
sive higher  evolution  of  the  Individual,  or 
the  possible  and  final  perfection  of  man. 

God  created  man,  but  man  must  perfect 
himself.  In  this  work  of  self-perfection, 
if  man  is  earnest,  sincere  and  persistent 
in  seeking  the  lines  of  least  resistance  and 
greatest  progress,  he  will  find  both  God 
and  Nature  working  with  him,  and  he  will 
avail  himself  continually  of  the  assistance 
of  Law  and  Light. 

This  Individual  Intelligence,  man,  is  en- 
dowed potentially  with  independent  choice, 
rational  volition,  and  a  growing  or  pro- 
gressive sense  of  personal  responsibility. 
These  faculties,  capacities  and  powers,  so 
held  and  utilized  by  the  individual,  read — 
self-control  and  personal  effort.  The  re- 
sult, at  every  step,  is  a  personal  experi- 
ence, the  sole  basis  of  real  knowledge  and 
the  only  method  by  which  man  knows  any- 
thing. The  foregoing  are  concepts  of 
Science  concisely  stated. 

Now  listen  to  one  of  the  most  ancient 
concepts  or  formularies: 


The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 43 

' '  First  a  mollusk,  then  a  fish,  then  a  bird, 
then  a  mammal,  then  a  man,  then  a  Mas- 
ter, then  a  God". 

What  is  this,  by  any  fair  and  intelligent 
construction,  but  the  theorem  of  Evolu- 
tion? 

Masonry  does  not  theorize  as  to  the 
origin  of  man,  neither  as  to  how  he  "  hap- 
pened to  be",  nor  as  to  how  be  became 
man.  It  accepts  the  fact,  "by  being  a 
man",  as  the  "first  postulate",  and  un- 
dertakes from  this  man  to  make  a  Master. 

It  insists  at  the  outset  on  free  choice  or 
rational  volition.  "Of  his  own  free  will 
and  accord"  he  must  come,  or  not  at  all. 
He  must  trust  his  guides  and  be  without 
fear  of  danger. 

This  does  not  mean  that  he  must  sur- 
render his  conscience,  his  right  and  duty 
of  private  judgment.  He  is  assured  that 
these  are  his  inalienable  rights,  duties,  and 
responsibilities.  By  his  own  judgment  and 
discrimination  he  has  gained  and  now  ex- 
ercises confidence  in  the  wisdom  and  sin- 
cerity of  his  guides.  He  thus  manifests  an 
openmindedness  without  which  no  one, 
however  wise,  could  teach  him  anything. 


44 The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

He  comes  in  under  restraint,  and  with 
the  badge  of  slavery  upon  him.  He  is  set 
free  on  his  own  recognizance,  his  own  hon- 
or, and  early  learns  how  a  Free  Man  be- 
comes a  Free  Mason,  through  self-control 
or  self-mastery. 

He  goes  on  a  Journey  of  trial  or  proba- 
tion. He  learns  at  every  step  that  profi- 
ciency already  attained  is  the  one  right 
that  entitles  him  to  the  benefits  of  further 
progress.  He  is  frequently  examined  at  the 
various  gates  to  ascertain  his  proficiency 
and  to  impress  upon  him  the  lessons 
taught.  Every  step  has  a  meaning  and  an 
application  to  the  personal  experience 
through  which  he  is  passing. 

He  is  given  his  working  tools  and  the 
explanation  and  application  of  their  use 
and  symbolism. 

Finally,  he  risks  his  life  in  defense  of 
his  integrity,  passes  through  the  grave  and 
discovers  the  symbols  of  immortality,  and 
is  at  last  raised — a  Master. 

If  recognized  and  realized,  nothing  ever 
devised  by  man  is  more  impressive  than 
the  * '  points  of  fellowship ' '  with  which  he  is 
greeted  on  his  re-entrance  to  the  outer 


The  Genius  of  Freemasonry  45 

world.  It  epitomizes  all  that  has  gone  be- 
fore, and  defines  with  the  utmost  clearness 
and  precision  the  ethics  that  should  guide 
his  whole  future  life. 

This  symbolical  experience  of  crossing 
the  Great  Divide  between  the  natural  and 
the  spiritual  worlds,  bears  the  same  rela- 
tion to  the  actual  crossing  and  return  of  a 
real  Master  who  does  it  at  will  (thus  "trav- 
eling in  foreign  countries",  as  the  wages 
or  reward  of  a  Master),  that  the  "substi- 
tute" bears  to  the  "real  word".  The 
whole  final  ceremony  of  the  Master's  de- 
gree is  a  symbol  and  a  substitute  for  that 
real  Initiation,  which  enables  the  Man  to 
become  first  a  Master,  and  then  a  god  in 
the  Platonic  sense,  or  that  of  the  greater 
Mysteries. 

Now  this  brief  and  fragmentary  outline 
is  designed  to  illustrate  the  Genius  of  Free- 
masonry. It  is  based  strictly  upon 
the  Science  of  human  evolution.  It  recog- 
nizes every  essential  principle  involved 
therein.  It  is  a  trial  balance  to  the  ethical 
account  of  the  individual's  experience;  a 
guide-book  of  the  normal  journey  of  the 
human  soul;  an  object  lesson  from  begin- 


46  The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

ning  to  end;  a  complete  symbol  of  the 
Journey  from  Man  to  Master,  and  from 
Master  to  God. 

The  candidate  is  impressed  very  clearly 
with  the  idea  that  it  can  be  done  in  no 
other  way  but  that  of  all  Brothers  who 
have  gone  this  way.  Here  is  neither  creed 
nor  dogma,  blindly  to  be  accepted  and  fol- 
lowed; nor  is  there  demanded  any  sur- 
render of  conscience,  nor  of  free  will  and 
choice.  Here  is  rather  a  Law  discovered, 
accurately  formulated,  demonstrated  over 
and  over  again  by  personal  experience.  It 
is  then  freely  given  to  all  prepared  to  re- 
ceive it  with  intelligence  and  in  the  right 
spirit.  And  it  is  given  without  the  hope 
of  fee  or  reward. 

The  Genius  of  Freemasonry  is  the  com- 
plete theorem  of  human  life,  the  real 
genius  of  individual  evolution.  When  in- 
telligently apprehended  it  puts  all  doubt 
and  uncertainty  at  rest  regarding  the 
meaning  of  life,  the  existence  and  capac- 
ities of  the  human  soul,  the  secret  of  and 
triumph  over  death,  and  the  continual  pro- 
gressive evolution  of  man,  provided  man 


The  Genius  of  Freemasonry  47 

conforms  to  the  clearly  revealed  Laws  of 
his  Being.  Doubt,  uncertainty,  fear  and 
bewilderment  are  banished  forever. 

The  consciousness  of  these  great  truths 
fills  the  soul  with  courage  and  reduces  the 
trials  and  sorrows  of  life  to  the  temporary 
incidents  or  inconveniences  of  a  day's 
journey.  There  come,  moreover,  an  up- 
lift, an  enthusiasm,  a  confidence  divested 
of  all  pride  or  self-conceit,  a  sense  of 
"gratitude  akin  to  tears",  but  they  are 
tears  of  joy  and  thanksgiving,  at  being  per- 
mitted to  know  the  "truth  that  sets  man 
free",  and  to  engage  in  the  service  that 
puts  man  in  harmony  with  Nature  and 
draws  him  nearer  and  continually  nearer 
to  God. 

It  gives  him  fellowship,  however  hum- 
ble, with  the  real  Princes  of  the  human 
race,  those  Perfect  and  Sublime  Masters 
who  were  equally  ready  to  lay  down  their 
lives  for  their  fellow  men,  or  live  in  the 
face  of  ridicule,  contempt,  imprisonment, 
or  submit  to  torture,  in  order  to  uplift  the 
fallen,  cheer  the  broken-hearted,  or  preach 
the  gospel  of  the  Beatitudes  to  the  poor. 


48 The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

Here  lie  the  only  real  possessions  of 
man,  and  beside  them  wealth,  fame,  power 
and  the  applause  of  men  are  but  the  rub- 
bish of  that  other  Temple  not  made  by 
hands,  eternal  in  the  heavens.  The  Ruffians 
may  indeed  destroy  the  body  and  be  left  to 
their  own  imprecations. 

The  Genius  of  Freemasonry  is  indeed 
the  strong  grip  of  the  Lion's  paw,  in 
which  is  focused  the  strong  Will  of  man, 
and  which  has  power  to  raise  the  fallen  to 
the  living  perpendicular  of  Uprightness, 
X.  Light,  Love,  and  eternal  Progress. 

'"•-The  nature,  the  life,  the  mission,  and 
the  teachings  of  Jesus,  made  the  Man,  first 
Master,  and  then  God.  He  came  thus  to 
"reveal  the  Father"  that  was  in  him,  and 
that  is  latent  and  waiting  to  be  revealed 
in  all  men.  The  Genius,  the  Landmarks 
and  the  Traditions  of  Freemasonry  pre- 
serve and  reveal  the  same  Great  Truths. 

We  shall  presently  compare  this  concept, 
this  idea,  this  Genius,  with  that  of  Clerical- 
ism, with  the  caricature  it  has  made  of  the 
Man,  and  the  Master — Jesus,  and  we  shall 
also  compare  the  works  they  have  done, 


The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 49 

and  are  doing,  "in  His  Name",  with  the 
works  Jesus  did,  and  the  spirit  in  which 
he  did  them. 

This  comparison  is  made  not  only  neces- 
sary but  obligatory.  This  is  for  the  rea- 
son that  politico-clericalism,  while  claiming 
to  be  the  successor,  the  only  accredited  rep- 
resentative of  Jesus  on  earth  today,  to 
act  by  his  direct  and  specific  authority  and 
speak  solely  in  his  name,  has  sophisticated 
his  whole  teaching  and  converted  his  min- 
istry of  mercy  into  a  political  despotism 
with  which  to  impoverish,  oppress  and  ex- 
ploit the  poor  whom  Jesus  sought  to  up- 
lift, set  free,  and  bless. 

The  real  Genius  of  Jesus  the  Christos 
is  set  forth  in  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount. 
How  any  sane  person  can  confound  this 
Sermon  with  the  Vatican  Decrees,  the 
anathemas  against  all  who  dissent  from 
the  dogmas  of  the  Roman  Pontiff,  is  dif- 
ficult of  apprehension.  These  Vatican  De- 
crees contain  only  platitudes  to  embellish 
the  arrogant  dogmas  of  the  church  and 
emphasize  its  curses. 

As  a  so-called  religion,  or  as  a  perver- 


50 The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

sion  of  religion,  we  might  be  content  to 
leave  Romanism  to  its  fate.  But  with  its 
political  department,  its  claim  of  absolute 
civic  power,  its  unswerving  despotism  and 
the  active,  powerful  and  ceaseless  crusade 
it  everywhere  and  at  all  times  reveals,  it 
cannot  be  indifferently  nor  contemptuously 
passed  by. 

When  we  add  to  this  fact,  that  Popery 
is  the  largest,  strongest,  best  organized, 
most  aggressive  and  unscrupulous,  and  at 
the  same  time,  most  secret  organization  on 
earth  today,  we  are  compelled  to  recognize 
and  deal  with  it. 

We  shall  contrast  its  animus,  its  genius, 
with  that  of  Freemasonry,  which  it  so  im- 
potently  and  viciously  curses  at  every  turn 
and  at  all  times. 

We  shall  endeavor  to  make  clear  the  rea- 
sons and  the  animus  of  this  hatred  of  Mas- 
onry and  Masons  by  Popery.  It  indeed 
magnifies  Masonry  to  be  considered  the 
greatest  thorn  in  the  side  of  this  colossal 
World  Power,  and  there  must  be  a  reason 
for  it. 

It  is  herein  proposed  to  place  the  Genius 


The  Genius  of  Freemasonry  51 

of  Freemasonry  and  the  genius  of  Popery 
side  by  side  and  to  give  various  views  of 
each,  and  invite  comparison.  Masonry  can- 
not compare  in  magnitude,  material  re- 
sources, nor  in  the  number  of  its  adherents, 
with  Roman  Ecclesiasticism.  And  yet  we 
are  proud  to  note  the  admission  (see  the 
"New  World"  quoted  elsewhere)  that  the 
release  of  the  people  in  France  and  else- 
where in  Europe  from  the  power  of  the 
Vatican,  is  "directly  traceable  to  its  (Mas- 
onry's) diabolical  influence".  We  must 
say,  "Well  done,  good  and  faithful  serv- 
ants ' '  of  Liberty  and  Light. 

But  it  must  not  be  forgotten  that  these 
are  Catholic  countries,  where  the  great  ma- 
jority of  the  people  were  by  birth,  educa- 
tion and  obedience,  under  the  control  of  the 
Vatican.  Masons  were  numerically  a  mi- 
nority. In  other  words,  the  Principles  of 
Freemasonry  were  pitted  against  the 
Power  of  the  Vatican.  The  People  adopt- 
ed the  principles  of  Masonry  and  won. 
What  France  was  when  the  real  struggle 
began,  and  what  she  is  fast  becoming  to- 
day, should  stand  as  an  object  lesson  to 
the  world. 


52  The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

The  same  issues,  the  same  struggle,  and 
the  same  results  have  occurred  in  Mexico, 
as  pointed  out  by  the  editor  of  the  "New 
World".  These  are  world  issues  between 
world  powers,  and  even  beyond  the  love 
and  reverence  every  true  Mason  entertains 
for  his  Order,  are  shaping  the  history  of 
Civilization.  Moreover,  these  signs  of  the 
times  should  encourage  and  inspire  every 
true  Mason  to  stand  by  his  Order  and  do 
his  duty. 

Popery  is  rapidly  rising  in  this  country 
as  its  power  wanes  in  the  Old  World.  It 
is  here  that  the  Great  Crusade  is  planned 
and  now  well  under  way.  It  is  here  and 
now  that  the  opportunity  is  presented  for 
Masonry  to  do  what  it  has  done  for  Free- 
dom in  Europe,  and  to  maintain,  continue 
and  perpetuate  what  Masonry  did  at  the 
foundation  of  this  Government. 

It  is  thus  that  the  Genius  of  Freemas- 
onry bears  aloft  the  Light  and  is  the  her- 
ald of  Freedom  in  the  dawn  of  the  Twen- 
tieth Century.  It  accepts  the  challenge  of 
Clericalism  in  the  Great  Crusade,  and  will 
bear  aloft  the  Lights  of  the  Lodge  when 
the  pomp  and  all  the  panoply  of  Clerical 


The  Genius  of  Freemasonry  53 

Eome  are  unearthed  by  some  future  trav- 
eler from  its  catacombs. 

*  *  Truth  crushed  to  earth  shall  rise  again, 
The  eternal  years  of  God  are  hers, 
But  error  wounded  writhes  in  chains, 
And  dies  amid  her  worshipers." 

No  greater  work  was  ever  done  for  man 
since  the  man  of  Nazareth  began  his  mis- 
sion, than  is  now  presented  as  an  oppor- 
tunity to  the  Freemasons  of  America.  They 
alone  are  fully  equipped  for  this  Great 
Work,  as  we  have  endeavored  herein  to 
show.  This  work  will  indeed  be  "for  the 
good  of  the  Order",  as  it  will  be  for  the 
love  and  the  benefit  of  man. 

Clericalism  seeks  to  build  itself  up,  at 
any  and  every  cost  to  humanity.  "Any- 
thing and  everything  for  Mother  Church", 
and  "the  end  justifies  the  means".  Mas- 
onry seeks  everywhere  and  at  all  times  to 
benefit  man  and  to  build  up  society,  and 
it  bestows  its  benefits  at  any  risk  or  cost 
to  itself. 

Masons  have  been  slandered,  reviled,  os- 
tracized, persecuted,  murdered,  whenever 


54 The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

and  wherever  Clericalism  has  been  in 
power.  It  may  retire  for  a  season  when 
persecution  holds  sway,  or  the  Inquisition 
has  political  power,  but  it  can  never  die. 
Its  Genius  is  unconquerable,  because  it  is 
Immortal.  It  was  conceived  in  Love,  al- 
lied with  Truth,  and  bears  aloft  the  Light 
of  Civilization. 


FREEMASONRY  AS  AN  INSTITU- 
TION. 


Freemasonry,  as  an  Institution  at  the 
present  time,  is  a  large  body  of  men  scat- 
tered over  the  civilized  countries  of  the 
earth,  organized  into  Lodges,  and  though 
affecting  to  a  considerable  degree  the  well- 
being  of  society,  yet,  as  an  Institution,  it 
is  of  a  private  rather  than  a  public  char- 
acter. At  its  annual  gatherings,  conclaves, 
processions,  and  in  its  public  ceremonies, 
at  funerals,  or  in  laying  the  corner-stone  of 
some  public  edifice,  the  semi-public  char- 
acter of  the  Institution  is  in  evidence. 

Freemasonry  may  be  said  to  be,  a  vol- 
untary association  of  individuals  for  mu- 
tual benefits  and  mutual  improvement,  gov- 
erned by  laws,  customs  and  obligations 
self-imposed,  to  secure  justice,  fraternity, 
mutual  helpfulness  and  the  just  govern- 
ment and  perpetuity  of  the  Institution  it- 
self. 

55 


56 The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

The  bond  of  union  which  secures  perma- 
nency in  so  large  a  body  of  men  united  in  a 
common  cause,  men  differing  in  nation- 
ality, religion,  occupation,  social  and  finan- 
cial standing,  ought  to  elicit  more  than 
passing  interest. 

Freemasonry,  as  an  Institution,  repre- 
sents an  Ideal  Republic,  where  mutual  in- 
terest, mutual  service  and  mutual  obliga- 
tion secure  Fraternity  and  the  greatest 
good  to  the  whole. 

Upon  precisely  this  idea  of  an  Ideal  Re- 
public, Washington  and  his  associates 
founded  this  Government,  deriving  their 
ideal  from  Freemasonry.  There  is,  how- 
ever, one  very  important  distinction  be- 
tween the  Ideal  and  the  real  Republic. 

No  man  is  admitted  as  a  member  of  the 
Masonic  Fraternity  unless  after  careful  ex- 
amination lie  is  found  to  be  worthy  to  be 
admitted,  qualified  to  assume  and  willing 
to  discharge  all  the  obligations  necessary 
to  secure  fraternal  union  and  permanency. 

In  the  larger  Republic  no  such  requisi- 
tion is  made  or  seems  possible.  Here  men 
clamor  for  their  rights  who  habitually  dis- 
regard their  duties,  and  ignore  all  mutual 


Freemasonry  as  an  Institution  57 

obligations.  Not  only  so,  but  in  America 
today  the  irresponsible  rabble  is  being  in- 
creased annually  by  more  than  a  million 
of  the  ignorant,  oppressed  and  revengeful 
victims  of  the  aristocracy  and  Clericalism 
of  the  Old  World. 

Few  persons,  even  among  Masons  them- 
selves, seem  aware  of  the  fact,  the  meaning 
and  the  transcendent  importance,  of  the 
existence,  maintenance  and  mission  of  this 
Ideal  Republic  which  Freemasonry  is,  in 
the  midst  of  the  competition,  strife  and 
confusion  of  tongues,  which  constitute  our 
present  " experiment"  at  self-government. 
It  is  important  above  all  things  that  every 
Mason  should  realize  this  position  of  Free- 
masonry as  an  Institution. 

Given — the  Ideal  "of  a  more  perfect 
Union" — its  realization  depends  entirely 
upon  the  education  in  ethics  and  citizenship 
of  every  individual  composing  that  Union. 
In  the  world  outside,  this  is  impossible,  ex- 
cept as  a  work,  perhaps,  of  centuries.  In 
the  Ideal  Republic — in  Freemasonry — it  is 
secured  by  the  invariable  demand  that 
Education  shall  come  before  Union.  The 
Ideal  Republic  selects  and  tests  its  appli- 


58 The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

cants  for  citizenship  before  admitting 
them,  and  it  seldom  makes  a  mistake. 

Here,  then,  exists  an  Ideal  Republic  with- 
in that  conglomerate  mass  constituting  the 
Nation.  It  is  composed  of  a  body  of  men 
representing  Equity,  Fraternity,  Equality, 
and  is  like  a  living  germ  within  an  outer 
structure,  numbering  between  two  and 
three  millions  of  men  in  this  country. 

Now  comes  the  important  question :  Has 
this  body  of  men,  so  constituted,  so  en- 
dowed and  so  prepared  for  citizenship,  no 
function,  office,  or  duty  to  the  community, 
on  the  part  of  the  Institution  they  consti- 
tute and  represent? 

Masonry  says: 

"Be  a  citizen;  because  thy  country,  is 
necessary  for  thy  security,  thy  happiness, 
and  thy  well-being.  Serve  it,  and  it  will 
protect  thee." 

If  every  just  and  upright  Mason  car- 
ried into  the  world  of  politics,  economics 
and  citizenship  outside,  the  principles  and 
usages  he  recognizes  and  conforms  to  in 
the  Lodge,  Masonry  would  today  do  more 
than  all  other  influences  combined  to  con- 
vert our  country  into  an  Ideal  Republic 


Freemasonry  as  an  Institution  59 

where  Justice,  Equity  and  Fraternity 
would  replace  poverty,  injustice,  bitter- 
ness and  strife. 

The  Institution  of  Freemasonry  has 
been,  like  all  other  institutions,  a  matter  of 
growth.  The  essential  principles,  how- 
ever, around  which  cluster  its  rights  and 
ceremonies  and  upon  which  rest  its  con- 
stitutions, laws  and  usages,  were  there  in 
the  beginning  and  have  never  changed.  It 
is  because  these  vital  principles  are  so  es- 
sential and  basic  in  all  human  relations, 
and  because  all  innovation  or  departure 
from  them  has  been  securely  provided 
against,  that  Masonry  has  endured  and 
prospered. 

Masonry  is  a  summary  of  human  wis- 
dom, simple,  clear,  concise,  such  as  no- 
where else  exists  in  the  world  today.  Cer- 
tain writers  have  assigned  it  a  divine  ori- 
gin and  attempted  to  trace  it  back  to  the 
days  of  Solomon,  or  to  mythological  char- 
acters in  the  remote  past.  The  principles 
upon  which  it  rests  are  indeed  eternal  and 
of  divine  origin,  but  they  have  been  dis- 
cerned and  instituted  by  man,  for  the  bene- 
fit of  man. 


60 The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

In  every  age  of  which  we  have  any 
knowledge,  either  through  tradition,  monu- 
ments, or  written  records,  there  has  existed 
a  secret  wisdom  apprehensible  to,  and 
known  only  by  the  few.  These  few  have 
made  it  their  business  to  know.  They  have 
invariably  preferred  wisdom  to  riches,  and 
the  knowledge  and  practice  of  Justice, 
Equity  and  Fraternity  to  the  applause  of 
their  fellowmen. 

This  concealed  wisdom,  this  inner  world 
of  knowledge  unknown  to  and  undesired 
by  the  rabble,  is  the  source  from  which 
Masonry  springs.  The  Landmarks  of  this 
concealed  wisdom  are  easily  traced  by  any 
one  who  knows  their  earmarks  and  is  fa- 
miliar with  their  basic  or  essential  princi- 
ples. 

There  is  an  ancient  maxim  which  reads : 
"Nothing  can  fte  concealed  from  him  who 
knows."  In  order  to  know,  one  must  have 
worked  up  to  these  basic  principles  and  in- 
corporated them  into  his  own  life.  Hence- 
forth they  are  for  him,  axiomatic,  self-evi- 
dent propositions.  They  guide  his  life  and 
illumine  his  pathway  like  the  rays  of  a  cen- 
tral sun. 


Freemasonry  as  an  Institution  61 

Religions,  philosophies,  institutions, 
come  and  go ;  civilizations  arise  and  disap- 
pear; continents  sink  and  rise  from  ocean 
beds;  but  these  principles  endure  forever. 
Their  symbols  are  cut  into  the  steel-gray 
granite  of  those  crude  statues  found  on 
Easter  Island,  which  tradition  declares  has 
twice  sunk  and  risen  from  the  submerging 
ocean,  and  they  witness  still  to  him 
who  "knows  the  sign",  the  Unity  of  God 
and  the  evolution  of  all  life. 

I  have  said  that  Masonry  is  a  summary 
of  human  wisdom  in  those  essential  princi- 
ples that  concern  the  ethical  well-being  of 
man.  He  who  recognizes  them,  conforms 
to  them  and  practices  them  amongst  his 
fellow-men,  is  on  the  lines  of  higher  human 
evolution.  They  could  not  be  more  true, 
more  essential  and  beneficent  had  they 
been  transmitted  to  man  miraculously 
carved  in  stone  or  set  in  jewels  direct  from 
the  hand  of  God. 

Wise  men  in  their  enthusiasm,  impressed 
with  the  wisdom  and  beneficence  of  these 
basic  principles,  have  attributed  to  them 
divine  origin,  thinking  perhaps  that  it  were 
better  that  the  ignorant  should  hold  them 


62 The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

superstitiously  and  follow  them  blindly 
than  to  ignore  them  altogether. 

One  writer  records  the  fact  that  in  the 
far  East,  beyond  the  bounds  of  civilization, 
the  robber  while  stealing  your  purse  will 
recite  his  slogan — "All  men  are  Broth- 
ers". Enforced  obedience  to  law  is  often 
better  than  none  at  all,  but  he  who  is  first 
made  a  Mason  in  his  heart  will  be  a  differ- 
ent citizen  altogether.  "The  wicked  obey 
the  law  through  fear.  The  wise  keep  the 
law  through  knowledge",  says  a  wise  Ka- 
balist. 

The  Institution  of  Freemasonry  rests 
upon  three  essential  propositions:  The 
existence  of  God;  the  Immortality  of  the 
Soul;  and  the  Brotherhood  of  Man.  The 
Lodge  neither  theologizes  nor  dogmatizes 
on  these  propositions,  nor  is  it  necessary 
here  to  enlarge  upon  or  elaborate  them. 

Every  Brother  is  left  free  to  form  his 
own  conception  of  the  Divine  Being  spoken 
of  in  the  Lodge  as  the  Grand  Architect  of 
the  Universe.  So  also  with  the  problem  of 
Immortality.  Every  one  who  in  his  secret 
heart  is  convinced  of  the  fact  of  Immortal- 
ity, or  who  accepts  it  as  a  conviction  on 


Freemasonry  as  an  Institution 63 

Faith,  will  live  for  the  future  no  less  than 
the  present,  and  shape  his  life  accordingly. 

So  also  as  to  the  essential  Brotherhood 
of  Man.  If  this  be  a  "Doctrine  of  the 
Heart",  as  it  is  a  fact  in  Nature,  each  may 
be  left  free  to  practice  that  kindness,  for- 
bearance and  helpfulness  toward  others 
that  is  its  legitimate  realization. 

The  whole  ritual  and  work  of  the  Lodge 
cluster  around  these  essential  principles. 
It  is  the  Work  of  the  Lodge  to  illustrate, 
perpetuate  and  exemplify  them,  and  this 
is  done  in  the  most  dramatic  and  impres- 
sive way. 

Loyalty  to  these  principles,  traditions 
and  usages  is  the  bond  of  union  and  the 
basis  of  perpetuity.  Mutual  love,  forbear- 
ance and  helpfulness  are  the  legitimate  re- 
sults. Hence  arises  the  Ideal  Eepublic  to 
which  I  have  referred.  Expand  this  Ideal 
Republic  in  spirit  and  in  truth  to  a  village, 
city,  or  county,  and  who  will  deny  that  the 
millenium  would  be  already  here  ? 

If  every  Mason  be  just  and  upright,  a 
good  man  and  true,  a  Mason  in  his  heart 
no  less  than  on  his  lips,  he  helps  to  form 
just  this  nucleus  of  an  Ideal  Eepublic,  a 


64  The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

perfect  State.  If  he  be,  on  the  contrary, 
thoughtless,  careless,  indifferent,  or  insin- 
cere, then  is  he  not  a  Mason  at  all,  deserv- 
ing of  the  name,  and  this  is  far  too  often 
the  case.  Many  good  men  and  true  join 
the  Lodge,  discover  this  superficial  and  in- 
different attitude  among  the  members,  and 
after  witnessing  a  few  ceremonies  of  In- 
itiation, drop  out  altogether. 

If  the  Institution  of  Freemasonry  has  no 
higher  mission  than  to  increase  its  mem- 
bership, initiate  its  candidates  and  simply 
exist ;  and  if  it  can  secure  a  full  attendance 
of  its  members  only  by  a  banquet  or  a  ba- 
zaar, it  will  fall  in  pieces  from  sheer  num- 
bers and  inanition. 

I  hold  that  there  is  a  Great  Work  for 
Masons  and  for  the  Institution  of  Free- 
masonry to  do,  and  that  the  time  for  this 
work  is  now.  True,  this  work  must  be 
done  by  Masons  as  individuals,  but  the  cor- 
porate strength  of  these  individuals,  the 
mutual  support  and  encouragement  eman- 
ating from  association  in  the  Lodge  will 
strengthen  each  individual  to  do  his  duty, 
and  do  it  cheerfully,  unflinchingly,  fear- 
lessly, continually. 


Freemasonry  as  an  Institution 65 

If  he  knows  for  what  he  stands  in  the 
Lodge,  if  he  gains  there  a  clear  perception 
of  what  it  means  to  be  a  Mason,  if  his  con- 
victions are  there  deepened  and  his  cour- 
age and  enthusiasm  continually  reinforced, 
he  will  still  be  a  good  man  and  true  in  the 
outer  world  and  aid  in  extending  to  the 
world  at  large  the  true  Light  of  the  Lodge. 

He  will  find  the  enemies  of  the  Lodge, 
and  of  Masonry  in  general,  to  be  also  the 
enemies  of  civilization  and  progress  every- 
where. He  will  be  among  the  first  to 
recognize  them  and  stay  their  hand,  as  he 
guards  the  sanctuary  of  the  Lodge  from 
the  approach  of  Cowans.  He  will  not  su- 
pinely and  with  indifference  say,  * '  There  is 
no  danger",  more  than  he  would  leave  the 
sanctuary  of  his  Lodge  while  at  work  un- 
guarded against  any  chance  comer  or  se- 
cret enemy.  He  will  help  guard  the  rights 
and  the  liberties  of  the  people  as  he  would 
guard  his  own.  He  will  be  a  citizen  in- 
deed, with  all  that  the  term  implies.  Can 
it  be  less  than  this,  to  be  a  just  and  up- 
right Mason,  a  good  man,  and  true? 

If  every  Mason  did  his  whole  duty  the 
Institution  of  Freemasonry  would  stand  as 


The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 


it  was  designed  to  stand  and  ought  to 
stand,  as  First  among  all  human  Institu- 
tions in  the  onward  and  upward  evolution 
of  the  human  race,  by  virtue  of  its  Work. 
This  is  the  "Work  of  the  Lodge",  and  it  is 
difficult  to  see  how  any  intelligent,  just  and 
upright  Mason  can  overlook,  ignore,  or 
deny  it.  What  excuse,  then,  can  he  offer 
for  indifference  to  this  work? 

Human  language  and  dramatic  expres- 
sion cannot  make  these  principles  plainer, 
nor  emphasize  them  more  than  is  done  in 
every  Lodge.  The  Lodge  was  designed 
for  precisely  this  purpose.  If  this  design 
is  all  in  vain,  if  selected  men,  thus  taught 
and  pledged  to  this  work,  find  neither 
meaning  nor  obligation  in  the  instruction, 
then  is  the  outlook  for  the  world  at  large 
poor  indeed.  What  can  be  expected  of  the 
thoughtless,  ignorant  and  superstitious 
rabble,  if  the  "Master",  thus  instructed, 
and  so  trained  and  obligated,  finds  no  duty 
to  perform? 

Freemasonry  differs  from  all  other  In- 
stitutions from  the  fact  that  it  never  pro- 
selytes and  never  persecutes.  It  does 
nothing  for  the  aggrandizement  of  the  In- 


Freemasonry  as  an  Institution 67 

stitution  as  such.  It  has  no  competition 
with  any  other  institution.  It  recognizes 
neither  equals  nor  rivals. 

Here  seems  to  be  a  strange  paradox,  and 
it  will  be  specially  noted  in  view  of  what 
is  herein  said  with  regard  to  Papacy.  The 
paradox  will  wholly  disappear,  if  the  Pa- 
pacy will  let  politics  entirely  alone  and 
strictly  confine  itself  to  so-called  religion. 

The  Mason  everywhere  is  an  enemy  of 
Popery,  because  Popery  seeks  to  deny,  con- 
trol or  abrogate  every  right  of  citizenship. 
It  denies  man's  right  to  Life,  Liberty,  and 
the  Pursuit  of  Happiness.  Masons  are 
made  out  of  Free  men  and  not  out  of 
slaves.  There  are,  and  there  can  be  no 
free  men  where  Popery  has  control.  This 
principle  of  Freedom  lies  back  of  Masonry, 
as  it  underlies  the  foundation  of  this  Gov- 
ernment. 

It  is  necessary  that  the  basis,  the  real 
Genius  of  these  two  Institutions,  should  be 
clearly  understood  and  accurately  distin- 
guished; for  they  are  exact  opposites  and 
are  antagonistic  to  the  last  degree. 

This  antagonism  does  not  provide  that 
we  as  Masons  shall  endeavor  to  tear  down 


68  The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

Popery  and  build  up  Masonry  as  Institu- 
tions. The  Pope  recognizes  this  distinc- 
tion when  he  differentiates  between  his  in- 
dividual opinions  and  utterances,  and  when 
he  speaks  ex  cathedra.  He  does  this, 
however,  only  as  a  subterfuge,  when  from 
contradictions  and  inconsistencies  he  finds 
himself  in  a  corner ;  or,  when  the  most  glar- 
ing inconsistencies  and  unreconcilable  con- 
tradictions are  shown  between  his  own  En- 
cyclicals and  those  of  his  predecessors,  all 
of  which  are  declared  "Infallible." 

The  jurisdiction  of  Masonry  and  of  the 
Lodge  over  the  individual  Mason,  has  no 
direct  political  bearing  or  religious  bias. 
Every  man  and  Mason  is  left  in  both  these 
directions  absolutely  free.  It  is  in  his 
moral  and  ethical  life  as  an  individual  that 
Masonry  undertakes  to  instruct.  So  in- 
structed, however,  the  individual  character 
of  the  man  ought  to  be  a  moral  force  in  so- 
ciety. He  ought  to  co-operate  with  all  good 
men  everywhere  in  upbuilding  society. 

Thus  it  may  be  seen  that  the  Institution 
of  Freemasonry,  world-wide  as  it  is,  and  a 
World  Power  in  the  broadest  and  best 
sense,  approaches  and  concerns  mankind 


Freemasonry  as  an  Institution  69 

as  individuals  and  not  en  masse.  Political 
ambition  and  the  aggrandizement  of  the 
Order,  as  such,  are  no  part  of  its  motive  or 
aim. 

Suppose,  for  example,  that  in  a  city  of 
one  hundred  thousand  people  there  were 
twenty  thousand  voters,  and  that  two 
thousand  of  these  were  Freemasons  rather 
equally  divided  between  the  two  political 
parties.  Suppose  that  the  grant  of  a  fran- 
chise was  proposed  to  a  private  corpora- 
tion under  terms  and  conditions  disadvan- 
tageous to  the  city,  but  exceedingly  advan- 
tageous to  the  corporation  seeking  it,  and 
that  the  private  corporation  included  lead- 
ing politicians  of  one  or  both  parties,  or 
involved  prospective  graft  for  them. 

Under  these  conditions  if  the  two  thou- 
sand Masons,  from  a  sense  of  duty,  com- 
mon honesty  and  civic  pride,  ignored  party 
lines  altogether  and  voted  against  the 
measure,  they  might  defeat  it  and  thus  hold 
the  balance  of  power.  Masonry  as  an  In- 
stitution would  have  nothing  to  do  with 
such  a  matter,  but  Masons  as  upright  men 
and  good  citizens  would  have  a  good  deal 
to  do  with  it. 


70 The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

Suppose  that  in  the  same  city  there  were 
also  two  thousand  Catholic  voters  (a  very 
small  number)  and  that  they  were  given 
to  understand  that  if  they  supported  the 
granting  of  the  franchise,  concessions 
would  be  made  to  them  greatly  to  the  bene- 
fit of  the  Church.  By  voting  solid  for  the 
franchise,  or  with  the  party  known  to  favor 
it,  they  might  hold  the  balance  of  power 
and  insure  the  granting  of  the  franchise  for 
a  consideration. 

This  is  precisely  what  is  being  done  daily 
in  all  the  large  cities  of  the  country. 

In  the  above  illustration  there  comes  a 
double  loss  to  the  city  through  the  solid 
Catholic  vote,  the  steal  in  the  franchise  and 
the  graft  to  the  Church.  With  the  indi- 
vidual Masons  exercising  the  balance  of 
power,  the  city  and  the  whole  people  are 
equally  benefited.  The  Masonic  Institu- 
tion gets  nothing.  It  desires  nothing  of 
the  kind.  Individual  Masons  derive  the 
satisfaction  of  having  done  a  simple  duty. 
Every  good  Mason  is  thus  a  good  citizen. 

When  honest  men  without  personal  mo- 
tive hold  the  balance  of  power  in  any  city, 
or  in  the  general  government,  that  city  and 


Freemasonry  as  an  Institution    • 71 

this  country  will  be  well  governed,  never 
till  then.  Special  favors  to  Mother  Church 
are  no  more  consistent  with  civic  justice 
and  the  rights  and  benefits  of  the  whole 
people,  than  graft  to  the  Boss,  or  favors 
to  private  corporations. 

Freemasonry  as  an  Institution  has  never 
received,  does  not  desire,  nor  would  it  ac- 
cept such  special  concessions  under  any 
conditions  or  circumstances.  It  would  be 
wholly  unMasonic.  But  such  is  the  mean- 
ing and  the  continual  menace  of  a  solid 
Catholic  vote.  It  ignores  justice  and  civic 
duty  entirely,  and  means  graft  only. 

The  character  and  meaning  of  Masonry 
as  an  Institution  is  thus  made  clear  by  con- 
trast. Masons  ought  to  accept  the  chal- 
lenge of  Popery  at  every  point  and  try  is- 
sues in  the  light  of  the  Twentieth  Century. 

These  two  World  Powers  represent  a 
complete  antithesis. 


.."Modernisms  are  to  be  removed 
from  professorships  and  the  direc- 
tion of  educational  institutions. 

"The  clergy  and  faithful  are  not 
to  be  allowed  to  read  modernist  pub- 
lications. 

"A  committee  of  censorship  is  to 
be  established  in  every  diocese,  to 
pass  upon  publications  which  the 
clergy  and  faithful  shall  be  per- 
mitted to  read." — Pope  Pius  X. 
(1907). 


FREEMASONRY  AS  A  FRATERNITY. 


Probably  the  most  salient  feature  of  Ma- 
sonry, the  feature  that  is  most  apparent  to 
the  new  member  of  the  Order,  that  which 
is  prominent  in  the  greeting  and  most  fre- 
quently on  the  lips  of  Masons,  is  that  of 
Fraternity.  "Brother"  is  the  title  most 
frequently  applied  and  is  that  which  pre- 
faces all  other  titles  and  offices. 

In  the  Lodge  room,  in  the  shadow  of  the 
altar,  Fraternity  is  always  in  evidence. 
There,  certainly,  in  this  country  at  least, 
Masonry  regards  no  man  for  his  worldly 
wealth  or  honor.  Every  lesson  taught  in 
the  Lodge  has  direct  regard  to  character, 
manhood,  and  Fraternity.  It  undertakes 
to  bring  to  the  front  the  essentials  of  all 
these  qualities,  to  make  them  clear,  to  em- 
phasize them. 

Thus  the  "atmosphere"  of  the  Lodge 
room  is  the  most  genial  that  can  anywhere 

73 


74 The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

be  found.  It  is  rare  indeed  that  discord 
or  friction  exists  there.  All  brothers  meet 
upon  the  level.  This  by  no  means  implies 
that  distinctions  are  not  recognized  or 
honors  bestowed. 

Every  Mason  is  justly  proud  of  the  hon- 
orary achievements  of  any  of  his  fraters. 
But  like  brothers  of  one  family,  where  one, 
returning  after  successful  achievement  in 
the  outer  world,  would  find  his  place  re- 
served at  the  table,  and  instead  of  '  *  looking 
down"  on  the  rest  of  the  family  he  invites 
them  to  share  in  the  honors  nobly  won  and 
bestowed  upon  him.  The  Masonic  Lodge 
seems  more  like  a  family  gathering  than 
almost  anything  that  can  be  found  else- 
where. 

Now  read  all  this  in  connection  with  the 
Initiation  referred  to  in  another  chapter 
and  it  must  be  conceded  that  the  true  Ma- 
son has  received  instruction  that  should  fit 
him  for  a  very  high  order  of  citizenship  in 
the  world. 

In  all  these  ceremonies,  dramatic  repre- 
sentations and  lessons  of  the  Lodge,  the 
practice  of  the  Masonic  virtues — Faith, 
Hope  and  Charity,  Brotherly  Love,  Eelief 


Freemasonry  as  a  Fraternity 75 

and  Truth — are  by  no  means  to  be  con- 
fined to  Brothers  in  or  of  the  Lodge.  They 
are  recommended  and  urged  as  "Masonic 
Virtues",  those  things  becoming  in,  and  to 
be  expected  of  a  Mason. 

A  Mason  may  discriminate  in  favor  of  a 
Brother  Mason.  Other  things  equal,  he 
may  give  him  the  preference  as  he  would 
a  brother  by  the  ties  of  kinship  and  of 
blood.  This  does  not  mean  discrimination 
against  those  outside  the  fellowship  of  the 
Lodge.  It  simply  implies  those  prefer- 
ences that  are  consistent  with  Justice, 
Equity  and  Eight,  the  recognition  of 
friendship  and  fraternity  that  exists  every- 
where. 

If  one  outside  the  Lodge  requires  an  as- 
sistant or  helper  in  any  department  of 
business,  and  could  find  such  an  one  among 
his  personal  friends  and  acquaintances, 
that  very  relationship  should  make  his  em- 
ployment mutually  desirable  and  profit- 
able, beyond  that  of  strangers.  This 
would  work  injustice  to  no  one.  It  might 
prevent  disappointments. 

Now,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  this  logical  and 
practical  application  of  Fraternity  is  too 


76 The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

often  overlooked  by  members  of  the  Order. 
Masonic  Employment  Bureaus  exist  in 
most  large  cities,  and  committees  of  the 
Lodge  are  appointed  to  look  after  the  sick 
and  relieve  distressed  worthy  Brothers. 
While  all  this  is  good,  necessary  and  *  *  Ma- 
sonic", it  sometimes  savors  more  of  Ma- 
sonic Charity  than  Fraternal  Co-operation. 

All  this  should  be  done — and  something 
more.  It  is  a  common  saying  that ' '  every- 
body's  business  is  nobody's  business". 
Demands  for  relief  and  charity  are  fre- 
quent and  widespread,  and  from  their  very 
extent  and  multiplicity  discouraging  to 
those  whose  time  and  means  are  limited. 
They  can  do  something,  but  in  the  presence 
of  the  great  and  multiple  need  are  apt  to 
do  nothing. 

Now,  if  the  members  of  the  Order  recog- 
nized at  all  times  not  only  that  they  are 
Fraters,  but  at  the  same  time  determined 
to  be  in  the  broadest  and  best  sense  Help- 
ers of  each  other,  mutual  confidence  and  co- 
operation would  result.  Thus  the  frater- 
nal relations  of  the  Lodge  would  secure 
mutual  benefits  and  helpfulness  in  the 
world  outside.  This  has  been  demon- 


Freemasonry  as  a  Fraternity 77 

strated  over  and  over  again  in  the  work  of 
the  Masonic  Employment  Bureau.  Mu- 
tual confidence  and  mutual  benefits  are 
thus  secured  at  the  outset,  and  they  seldom 
lead  to  disappointment. 

The  strife  today  between  capital  and  la- 
bor, between  the  employer  and  the  em- 
ployed, seldom  regards  Justice  and  Equity. 
It  more  often  represents  jealousy,  envy 
and  resentment.  The  loss  is  mutual  though 
by  no  means  equal,  as  capital  at  the  present 
time  has  the  "whip  hand".  In  the  aggre- 
gate, the  employee  loses  two  millions  to  the 
employer's  one,  by  actual  statistics,  and  at 
the  end  of  the  strife,  whether  "strike", 
"lock-out",  or  "boycott",  the  original 
conditions  remain,  only  with  added  bitter- 
ness and  ill-will. 

This  might  all  be  changed  if  real  fra- 
ternal relations  existed  between  employer 
and  the  employed.  Fraternity  would  lead 
to  consideration  and  co-operation,  and 
even  arbitration,  which  promises  so  much 
and  is  so  seldom  honestly  tried  or  desired, 
would  seldom  need  to  be  invoked.  As  an 
object  lesson  to  the  whole  world  such  a 
condition  would  be  of  exceeding  value. 


78  The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

If  the  Masonic  Fraternity  really  repre- 
sents an  Ideal  Bepublic  why  should  it  not 
be  the  first  to  solve  the  economic  problem 
so  that  it  would  stay  solved,  and  thus  prove 
to  the  world  the  truth  and  beneficence  of 
Masonic  principles  ? 

Masonry  is  not  Socialism  in  any  sense  in 
which  that  term  has  been  defined.  Ma- 
sonry is,  in  the  broadest  and  strictest  sense, 
Individualism;  but  this  very  individualism 
is  intrinsic,  not  extrinsic.  "  Masonry  re- 
gards no  man  on  account  of  his  worldly 
wealth  or  honors'*.  Masonic  regard  goes 
deeper  than  this  and  recognizes  the  intrin- 
sic character  of  the  man. 

Worldly  wealth  and  honors  are  by  no 
means  to  be  despised.  When  nobly  won, 
justly  held,  and  wisely  utilized,  they  be- 
come agents  of  usefulness,  and  opportuni- 
ties for  noble  work.  But  whether  so 
achieved,  regarded  and  utilized,  will  de- 
pend entirely  upon  the  real  character  of 
their  possessor.  Take  the  ignorant,  vul- 
gar, snobbish,  purse-proud  millionaire,  fre- 
quently seen  nowadays.  His  wealth  is 
simply  a  monument  to  his  shallow  vulgar- 
ity. One  has  only  to  ask  the  question, 


Freemasonry  as  a  Fraternity 79 

"What  would  he  be  entirely  divested  of  his 
wealth  and  reduced  to  his  normal  level  as 
a  man?",  in  order  to  locate  and  classify 
him. 

Whether,  therefore,  the  man  be  rich  or 
poor,  prominent  or  obscure,  educated  or  ig- 
norant, the  real  manhood  in  him  that  is  the 
basis  and  the  crown  of  individual  character 
remains.  No  place  can  be  found  where  the 
essentials  of  real  manhood  are  so  recog- 
nized, applauded,  cultivated  and  honored 
as  in  the  Masonic  Lodge. 

The  Fraternity  that  exists  between  se- 
lected men  so  educated  should  be  more  than 
a  name.  The  one  thing 'that  is  shared  in 
common  is  the  feeling  and  expression  of 
Brotherly  Love,  and  this  sentiment  carries 
with  it  appreciation  of  the  genuine  charac- 
teristics of  manhood  and  of  noble  endeavor 
possessed  by  each  and  every  brother  of  the 
Lodge. 

Masonry  deprives  no  man  of  any  real 
honor,  nor  does  it  undertake  to  reduce  all 
men  to  one  common  level  of  mediocrity, 
nor  to  prevent  them  from  doing  their  best 
and  their  utmost,  as  do  some  of  the  trades 
unions  today. 


80 The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

When  the  differences  between  men  are 
recognized  to  the  fullest  extent,  differences 
in  intelligence,  capacity,  opportunity  or  ex- 
perience, with  the  sincere  fraternal  feeling 
of  reciprocity,  mutual  helpfulness  and  mu- 
tual benefit  are  sure  to  result  from  inti- 
mate association.  Here  is  no  Communism, 
for  each  is  benefited  as  much  in  giving  as  in 
receiving.  Each  is  thus  enabled  to  do  his 
own  work  better,  and  all  the  more  and  all 
the  better  to  realize  selfhood. 

Does  all  this  sound  like  a  homily?  Just 
nice  sentiments  nowhere  found  in  practice  I 

No  Mason  can  say  that  they  are  not  the 
sentiments  constantly  held  aloft  and  illus- 
trated in  the  Lodge.  And  suppose  these 
principles  and  sentiments  were  carried  out 
to  the  fullest  extent  precisely  as  here  set 
forth,  would  any  one  be  the  loser?  Would 
not  mutual  good  result  all  around?  Can 
any  one  study  carefully  the  whole  ritual 
and  witness  the  dramatic  ceremony  of  in- 
itiation and  come  to  any  other  conclusion 
than  that  the  whole  institution  was  de- 
signed for  this  purpose,  to  bring  about  just 
such  results  as  I  here  have  indicated? 

This  is  Brotherhood,  and  is  far  removed 


Freemasonry  as  a  Fraternity 81 

from  what  most  persons  regard  as  charity. 
One  thing  seems  certain,  and  that  is  if  real 
Fraternity  is  not  designed  here  and  cannot 
be  realized  in  the  Lodge,  we  shall  look  for 
it  in  vain  elsewhere. 

The  barriers  of  superstition,  intoler- 
ance and  fanaticism  are  entirely  removed. 
Everywhere  and  in  all  time  these  are  the 
sources  of  the  most  bitter  hostilities 
amongst  men.  The  most  cruel  and  relent- 
less wars  ever  inaugurated  have  been 
w aged  over  a  text  of  the  Koran  or  passages 
from  the  Bible,  and  concerning  things  hav- 
ing no  practical  bearing  in  life. 

In  the  Masonic  Fraternity  all  this  is  laid 
aside.  Theology,  Creed  and  Dogma  have 
no  place  in  Masonic  literature.  ' '  God  is ' '. 
The  human  Soul  exists,  and  it  survives  the 
death  of  the  physical  body;  and  Brother- 
hood is  a  fact  in  the  foundation  and  super- 
structure of  human  life. 

Explain  these  things  in  your  own  way. 
Deism,  Pantheism  and  Philosophical  Ma- 
terialism come  to  the  same  conclusion. 
They  differ  only  in  forms  of  expression. 
Attribute  intelligence  to  Nature,  as  we 


82  The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

must,  to  determine  law  and  order,  and  you 
involve  God. 

It  is  thus  that  the  source  of  bitterness 
and  strife,  not  over  real  things  but  over 
man's  idea  of  things,  is  eliminated  from 
Masonry.  Masons  may  thus  compare 
notes  and  exchange  views,  and  find  no 
cause  for  hostility  and  no  disposition  to 
quarrel  over  that  concerning  which  we  ac- 
tually know  nothing,  but  have  simply  ideas, 
concepts,  or  opinions. 

This  Fraternity,  so  fostered  and  encour- 
aged, by  eliminating  dogma  and  supersti- 
tion puts  every  real  truth  in  a  clearer  light. 
It  enables  every  intelligent  person  to  dis- 
tinguish between  religion  and  superstition, 
and  to  hold  his  own  convictions  without  un- 
kind criticism  of  or  from  others. 

People  never  realize  how  much  we  are 
alike  and  how  much  we  hold  in  common  till 
they  compare  notes  like  brothers,  in  order 
to  find,  if  possible,  a  common  ground  of 
agreement.  They  too  often  seek  grounds 
for  disagreement  and  end  with  criticism 
and  condemnation. 

If  progress  is  the  law  of  all  life,  the  time 
will  never  come  when  all  men  will  be  equal 


Freemasonry  as  a  Fraternity  83 

intellectually,  or  interested  in  the  same 
problems  or  pursuits,  or  arrive  at  the  same 
conclusions  at  any  given  time  regarding 
the  things  most  useful  or  desirable,  or  how 
the  problems  of  nature,  of  life  and  of  hu- 
man destiny  are  best  to  be  solved. 

Individual  intellect  means  diversity,  not 
unity.  The  mind  of  man  is  the  explorer, 
the  pathfinder,  while  the  anchor  is  in  the 
heart,  in  the  affections,  in  the  love-nature. 
The  love  of  home,  all  filial  affection  and 
fraternal  regard  are  relatively  independent 
of  intellectual  attainment. 

If  we  are  to  wait  for  the  millenium  till  all 
men  are  equally  developed  intellectually, 
till  they  accept  the  same  philosophy,  be- 
lieve in  the  same  theology,  and  vote  the 
same  ticket,  we  shall  forever  wait  in  vain. 
Diversity  all  along  these  lines  continually 
increases  as  evolution  goes  on.  Intellect 
provides  diversity,  fixes  range  of  experi- 
ence and  determines  resources.  It  pro- 
vides incentive  to  action  instigated  by  curi- 
osity and  gives  continually  new  fields  for 
exploration. 

The  heart,  the  affections  and  the  love- 
nature,  differ  from  the  intellect  in  all  these 


84  The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

regards.  The  heart  anchors  us  to  the  old 
home,  humble  though  it  may  be,  to  the  old 
associations,  the  ''old  familiar  faces". 
* '  The  Love  of  God  passeth  all  understand- 
ing". The  mother-love,  that  love  which 
seems  nearest  the  divine,  has  a  special  ten- 
derness for  the  sick  or  feeble  child,  meas- 
ured only  by  its  needs  and  its  helplessness, 
and  is  untiring  and  inexhaustible. 

Love  is  no  "respecter  of  persons".  It 
is  spontaneous,  unless  we  quench  it  by  in- 
difference or  selfishness,  and  when  we  do 
this,  we  are  the  greatest  losers.  Love  or 
Fraternity  is  an  emotion,  a  feeling,  a  senti- 
ment, an  attitude  of  the  soul.  It  is  the  life 
of  the  soul,  as  magnetic  vitality  is  the  life 
of  the  body. 

The  loveless  and  selfish  individual  is  the 
most  unhappy  of  mortals.  The  more  he 
grasps,  the  less  he  really  possesses.  The 
treasures  of  love,  the  welcome  guests  in  the 
"Kingdom  of  Heaven"  within  us — the  chil- 
dren, the  friends,  the  objects  of  our  affec- 
tion— these  are  our  real  possessions.  The 
impulse  to  human  kindness,  the  kind  word 
that  springs  spontaneously  to  the  lips,  the 
helping  hand  that  is  quickly  extended,  the 


Freemasonry  as  a  Fraternity  85 

love  impulse  that  is  not  calculating  but 
spontaneous  and  always  ready — who  is  not 
drawn  to  these;  who  does  not  recognize 
them  and  make  obeisance  ? 

Here  then  is  the  bond  of  union,  the  gold- 
en chain  that  binds  humanity  together. 
Here  is  the  common  basis,  the  common 
need  and  the  universal  crown  of  human 
life.  If  all  men  recognized  this  and  re- 
sponded to  it  the  millenium  would  be  here 
now.  Kindness,  co-operation,  mutual  for- 
bearance and  mutual  helpfulness  would  be 
to  the  mutual  advantage  and  happiness  of 
all.  Not  one,  rich  or  poor,  wise  or  fool- 
ish, would  be  left  out. 

Civilization  or  the  well-being  of  society 
does  not  wait  on  more  knowledge,  more  re- 
sources nor  on  higher  intellectual  achieve- 
ment. It  simply  waits  for  the  will  to  do 
what  we  already  know  to  be  just  and  right. 
It  waits  for  us  to  realize  that  selfishness 
and  greed  do  not  pay,  but  forever  defeat 
their  own  ends.  It  waits  for  us  to  open 
the  windows  of  the  soul,  to  let  the  bats  of 
superstition,  the  shadows  of  fear,  the  ser- 
pents of  intolerance  and  all  the  foul  vapors 
of  selfishness  out,  and  let  Love  with  its  di- 


86 The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

vine  radiance  come  in — one  face — the  Re- 
deemer— Love  to  glorify  the  Kingdom  of 
the  human  soul. 

This  is  the  Fraternity  taught  all  around 
the  world  in  every  Lodge  of  Free  Masons. 
It  is  realized  and  exemplified  here  as  no- 
where else.  Speak  the  Word  or  give  the 
Sign,  in  Europe,  Asia,  Africa,  Australia, 
the  Americas,  or  the  Islands  of  the  sea,  and 
there  stands  a  Brother  with  outstretched 
hand  ready  to  serve  and  to  help,  to  go  on 
foot  and  out  of  his  way  to  succor,  protect, 
or  'defend.  He  is  a  Brother  and  that  is 
enough. 

One  might  fill  volumes  in  proof  of  this. 
Some  of  the  deepest  and  dearest  of  life- 
long friendships  have  originated  in  this 
way.  Officers  and  soldiers  of  hostile  arm- 
ies have  recognized  each  other  as  no  longer 
enemies  but  Brothers,  with  all  that  the 
term  implies.  Love  is  not  only  the  sweet- 
est and  dearest,  but  the  strongest  thing  in 
the  world.  The  flaming  sword  melts  in  its 
intenser  ray,  and  having  consumed  all 
meaner  things  and  become  triumphant,  all 
in  all,  it  stoops  to  kiss  the  babe  in  the  man- 
ger and  comfort  the  poorest  and  meanest 


Freemasonry  as  a  Fraternity 87 

of  the  children  of  men.  One  touch  of  kind- 
ness makes  the  whole  world  akin. 

When  we  are  tired  of  fighting  and  compe- 
tition, selfishness  and  greed,  we  will  open 
the  windows  of  the  soul  and  let  Love  come 
in.  Nothing  but  Love  would  wait  so  long, 
and  enter  at  last  with  a  smiling  face. 

Religions,  so  far  as  they  are  presented 
by  theologies,  creeds,  and  dogmas,  are  not, 
and  never  can  be  the  basis  of  organizing 
humanity  as  a  whole.  As  already  shown, 
and  as  the  history  of  the  world  and  of  ev- 
ery religion  proves,  here  is  where  mankind 
disagree  and  fall  apart.  Some  will  make 
haste  to  declare  that  "Religion  is  the  Law 
of  Love",  and  every  sect  and  denomination 
will  add — "and  something  more'*,  and  each 
will  add  something  different. 

The  basis  of  any  true  and  lasting  organi- 
zation of  mankind  lies  in  a  common  need, 
a  common  service.  This  basis  lies  in 
Ethics  and  Economics,  and  in  the  spirit 
of  Fraternity,  Co-operation  and  Brother- 
hood. Loyalty  to  these  will  insure  per- 
manency on  earth  of  an  association 
of  every  people,  kindred  and  tongue. 
Such  an  association  would  be  spontaneous 


88  The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

and  voluntary.  Then  men  would  take  off 
their  hats,  lift  their  eyes  to  heaven  and  sing 
together — "Praise  God  from  whom  all 
blessings  flow",  "till  the  stars  heard  and 
the  sea" ;  and  the  angels  took  up  the  strain, 
and  the  joy  of  earth  mingled  with  that  of 
all  the  heavens. 

We  are  far  more  concerned  about  the 
Humanities  than  the  Divinities.  When  we 
recognize  and  serve  the  humanities,  the  di- 
vinity of  human  life  will  walk  glorified 
among  the  children  of  men,  and  we  shall 
crown  him  as  the  Angel  of  Peace,  and  wor- 
ship him  as  Love. 


FREEMASONRY  AS  A  SCIENCE  OF 
ETHICS. 


After  the  more  general  view  of  Masonry, 
we  may  consider  some  of  the  more  specific 
and  exact  problems  of  human  life.  We 
shall  find  here,  as  elsewhere,  the  depth  and 
sufficiency  of  Freemasonry  as  to  all  practi- 
cal problems. 

By  Ethics  is  understood,  the  basis  of 
morals,  the  principles  of  action,  the  rules  of 
conduct.  We  thence  determine  our  rights, 
our  duties  and  our  responsibilities;  what 
we  owe  to  ourselves,  our  fellow-men  and  to 
God. 

Few  people  seem  aware  of  the  fact  that 
this  whole  subject  can  be  reduced  to  an  ex- 
act science  so  as  to  bring  out  the  principle 
of  action  in  any  given  case.  The  princi- 
ples of  science  are  exact.  The  rules  or 
methods  of  applying  these  principles  in  any 
given  case  depend  upon  judgment,  discrim- 

89 


90  The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

illation  and  experience.  If  a  mathemati- 
cian or  a  physicist  is  thoroughly  grounded 
in  the  principles  of  his  science,  has  good 
judgment  and  great  experience  along  the 
lines  of  his  art,  he  will  readily  adopt  means 
to  secure  desired  results. 

The  conditions  are  not  different  in  re- 
gard to  the  principles  of  right  action.  The 
man  who  is  thoroughly  grounded  in  the 
principles  of  ethics,  who  is  convinced  of 
their  truth  and  sufficiency,  and  who  desires, 
and  really  intends  to  do  right,  will  make 
few  mistakes.  He  will  be  guilty  of  no  glar- 
ing injustice,  and  he  will  continually  meas- 
ure the  application  of  all  these  principles  of 
conduct  by  all  his  previous  experience. 
His  failures  and  errors  in  application  will 
show  him  what  to  avoid  in  all  future  action. 
He  will  learn  by  his  mistakes  no  less  than 
by  his  success.  All  this  presupposes  per- 
fect sincerity  on  his  part  and  the  deter- 
mination to  do  right. 

Ethics  deals  first  and  foremost  with 
individual  intelligence  and  personal  re- 
sponsibility. 

As  to  Individualism  and  Collectivism,  or, 
individual  conduct  and  Socialism,  there 


As  a  Science  of  Ethics 91 

need  be  no  confusion  whatever.  The  basis 
of  Society  is  the  Individual.  He  comes  first, 
the  aggregate  afterward.  In  any  case,  and 
under  all  conditions  and  circumstances, 
such  as  are  the  individuals  in  any  aggre- 
gate or  community,  such  that  community 
will  be. 

As  a  rule,  certain  features  or  character- 
istics predominate.  Each  individual  is 
himself  an  aggregate,  a  community  of  func- 
tions, organs,  capacities  and  powers,  with 
a  predominating  tendency,  a  predilection, 
a  bias.  By  association  and  fellowship 
these  are  mingled,  and  strengthened  or 
weakened.  The  individual  may  not  change 
his  nature,  but  he  is  quite  certain  to  change 
his  bias. 

There  is  a  constant  struggle  for  supre- 
macy. Men  insist  upon  their  rights  and  are 
apt  to  ignore  their  duties  and  responsibili- 
ties. If  they  do  this,  they  find  a  combina- 
tion against  them  and  are  soon  compelled 
to  compromise,  to  give  something  in  order 
to  get  something.  This  principle  of  com- 
promise of  mutual  surrender,  of  recogni- 
tion of  the  general  good,  is  the  basis  of  all 
social  union.  A  man  may  assert  that  he 


92 The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

will  do  as  lie  pleases  regardless  of  the 
rights  and  the  well-being  of  others,  and  if 
he  pleases  to  do  wrong,  if  his  pleasure  is 
inimical  to  the  good  of  the  community,  he 
will  presently  find  that  community  massed 
against  him.  If  his  arm  is  strong  and  his 
club  large,  he  may  for  a  time  subjugate 
the  community  by  fear.  If  he  does  this, 
then,  eventually,  by  secrecy  and  cunning, 
they  will  overthrow  him. 

In  a  barbarous  age,  with  an  ignorant  and 
rude  people,  the  strong  arm  and  the  big 
club  may  receive  a  superstitious  reverence, 
the  people  preferring  such  a  leader  to  one 
inferior. 

Now,  every  principle  here  defined  applies 
in  the  highest  organized  society.  In  the 
most  civilized  society  today,  the  ambitious, 
the  unscrupulous,  and  the  unjust,  exploit 
the  people  by  superior  skill,  by  secrecy  and 
cunning,  while  the  criminal  law  and  the 
civil  code  are  supposed  to  protect  the 
people. 

Here  again  the  greed  and  cunning  of  the 
man  who  seeks  wealth  or  power  at  any  cost 
to  the  community,  sophisticates  justice, 
suborns  witnesses,  tampers  with  city 


As  a  Science  of  Ethics 93 

boards,  bribes  legislators,  and  escapes  pun- 
ishment. Not  a  new  principle  is  here  seen 
from  those  found  in  barbarism.  Only  the 
method  of  using  and  applying  them  differs. 
The  club  is  usually  in  the  hands  of  the  po- 
lice, and  supposed  to  be  in  the  service  of 
the  people. 

If  the  individual  seizes  the  club,  and  tries 
to  "run  amuck",  he  is  likely  to  meet  the 
bullet  of  the  policeman.  The  criminal  in 
rags  or  in  broadcloth,  on  the  street  or  in 
the  stock  exchange,  runs  to  cover.  So  we 
are  slowly  working  out  the  problem  of 
social  evolution ;  but  here  and  everywhere, 
at  all  times  and  under  all  conditions  and 
circumstances,  the  basic  element  is  the  In- 
dividual. 

If  the  majority  of  individuals  are  intelli- 
gent, just  and  fraternal,  the  social  status 
of  the  community  will  be  high;  but  not 
otherwise.  The  greatest  difficulty  at  the 
present  time  lies  in  the  fact  that  too  many 
persons  are  indifferent.  They  are  involved 
in  the  ambitions,  the  necessities,  or  the  ease 
of  their  own  lives,  and  they  injure  the  com- 
munity by  default  of  duty,  often  as  much 


94 The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

as  the  law-breaker  and  the  vicious  do  by 
exploiting  it. 

Now,  civic  duty  lies  at  the  basis  of  all 
morals  and  of  all  individual  ethics. 

Hence  we  are  brought  back  to  the  point 
of  departure — the  principles  that  underly 
and  govern  the  conduct  of  individual  life, 
the  Science  of  Ethics.  Given :  Individuals 
imbued  with  right  knowledge,  determined 
on  right  action,  and  we  shall  have  the  ideal 
state. 

The  education  of  the  individual,  then,  is 
of  the  very  first  importance;  and  by  edu- 
cation is  meant,  knowledge  of  the  princi- 
ples of  conduct  and  the  rules  of  action  that 
secure  at  once  the  greatest  good  to  the  in- 
dividual and  to  the  community. 

In  the  first  place,  we  must  get  rid  of  the 
fallacy  that  any  real  or  lasting  good  can 
be  secured  by,  or  to  the  individual,  that 
is  injurious  to  his  fellowmen. 

No  resources  of  life  are  in  their  essential 
nature  injurious  nor  to  be  despised.  All 
depends  upon  use.  Morals,  or  ethics,  de- 
termine how  they  may  be  acquired,  and 
how  they  ought  to  be  used;  and  in  the  ac- 
quirement and  use  of  these  resources  we 


As  a  Science  of  Ethics 95 

come  back  to  the  principles  that  underlie 
and  determine  the  character  of  the  indi- 
vidual. 

Now,  the  basis  of  character  is  deter- 
mined by  the  principle  of  personal  respon- 
sibility. Take  away  personal  responsibility 
by  relegating  conscience  to  the  keeping  of 
another — be  it  Church,  Pope  or  Priest — 
and  morals  are  at  an  end.  The  individual 
is  reduced  to  an  irresponsible  automaton. 
He  will  do  whatever  his  conscience-keeper 
tells  him  to  do,  and  assume  that  it  is  right 
or  justified  because  his  conscience-keeper 
says  it  is  right.  Discriminating  choice  and 
rational  volition  that  determine  what  we 
call  free  moral  agency  are  no  longer 
present. 

If  the  individual  is  lacking  in  intelli- 
gence, he  cannot  discriminate  as  to  the 
basis  or  result  of  his  action.  If  he  acts 
under  restraint  or  constraint,  the  act  is  at 
most  but  partly  his  own,  and  he  can  be  held 
only  so  far  responsible.  We  may  thus  see 
that  intelligence,  volition  and  freedom  de- 
termine moral  responsibility. 

Next  come  the  standards  of  justice, 
equity  and  right.  These  determine  our  re- 


96 The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

lation  to  others.  The  one  word  Frater- 
nity, or  the  principle  expressed  in  the 
Golden  Rule,  defines  our  highest  and  best 
relation  to  others.  The  real  good  of  one  is 
the  good  of  all,  and  reciprocity  measures 
and  determines  justice.  The  individual 
governed  by  this  principle  gives  and  takes, 
is  equally  ready  and  willing  to  give  or  to 
receive.  This  is  Fraternity  in  its  deepest, 
broadest  and  truest  sense.  Founded  upon 
exact  justice,  the  flower  of  this  tree  for 
the  healing  of  the  Nations  is  Love,  and  its 
ripened  fruit  is  Brotherhood. 

Science  deals  with  facts  derived  from  ex- 
periment, observation  and  experience.  The 
foregoing  deduction  of  principles  agrees 
with  all  the  facts,  and  the  results  in  every 
case  known  to  man  of  these  principles, 
clearly  conceived,  intelligently  applied  and 
consistently  and  persistently  carried  out, 
has  been  the  mutual  happiness  and  well-be- 
ing of  all  concerned. 

We  are  therefore  justified  in  concluding 
that  we  have  here  the  exact  formula  of  the 
Science  of  Ethics,  the  basis  of  Morals,  the 
conditions  of  the  greatest  good  to  all.  The 
best  interests  of  the  individual  at  once  se- 


As  a  Science  of  Ethics 97 

cure  the  highest  good  of  the  State.  There 
need  be  no  confusion  of  tongues,  no  work- 
ing at  cross  purposes. 

By  a  science  of  ethics  we  thus  arrive  at 
a  knowledge  of  what  is  necessary  to  be 
done  and  how  to  do  it  in  order  to  secure  the 
greatest  possible  good  to  all.  To  obtain 
this  exact  knowledge  is  the  Science  of 
Ethics;  to  utilize  it  constitutes  Morals; 
while  Conscience  is  the  motive  power  that 
impels  the  Will  to  practice  what  it  knows 
to  be  right  and  just.  Conscience  is  the 
soul's  intuitive  recognition  of  personal  re- 
sponsibility. 

Now,  if  every  individual  realized  his  per- 
sonal responsibility,  that  is,  listened  to  the 
voice  of  conscience  and  acted  up  to  his 
knowledge  of  right  and  wrong,  the  social 
conditions  would  be  everywhere  changed 
immeasurably.  If  right  knowledge  deter- 
mined right  action,  that  is,  at  once  secured 
it,  our  social  conditions  would  show  great 
improvement. 

The  Science  of  Ethics  as  taught  in  Free- 
masonry undertakes  to  secure  to  each  in- 
dividual right  knowledge,  and  at  the  same 
time  inspire  him  with  an  unalterable  pur- 


98 The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

pose  to  use  every  inducement  to  secure 
right  action.  It  impels  each  individual  to 
make  a  personal  application  of  the  lessons 
taught.  This  is  done  through  the  medium 
of  a  practical  experience.  After  this  per- 
sonal experience,  the  meaning  of  the  les- 
sons and  their  application  to  and  practice 
by  the  candidate  are  fully  explained.  Pre- 
cept and  example  are  thus  united. 

This  education  of  the  candidate  occurs 
through  appeal  to  his  reason,  his  under- 
standing and  his  conscience.  He  is  not  * '  in- 
doctrinated". There  is  no  dogmatizing. 
He  is  urged  to  use  all  his  faculties,  capaci- 
ties and  powers,  and  to  test  all  that  he  sees 
and  hears  by  his  own  judgment,  and  in  the 
light  of  his  own  conscience. 

When  it  is  once  realized  that  in  Freema- 
sonry is  found  the  most  concise  formula  of 
the  essentials  of  a  science  of  Ethics  known 
to  man,  and  that  it  is  made  the  business  of 
the  ritual  and  work  of  the  Lodge  to  teach, 
illustrate  and  utilize  this  knowledge  in 
every  possible  way,  no  one  need  be  in  any 
doubt  or  uncertainty  as  to  the  influence  of 
Masonry  on  the  individual  and  upon  So- 
ciety at  large. 


As  a  Science  of  Ethics 99 

It  is  apparent  that  for  such  instruction 
to  be  so  bestowed  and  utilized,  the  candi- 
date must  be  qualified,  prepared,  and  ready 
to  receive  it.  This  preparation  and  quali- 
fication the  candidate  must  himself  evince 
and  demonstrate.  This  is  not  only  re- 
quired, but  illustrated  at  every  step.  Noth- 
ing that  he  does,  or  that  is  done  in  his  pres- 
ence, is  meaningless;  nor  is  he  left  in  any 
doubt  or  uncertainty,  obscurity  or  con- 
fusion. 

Thus  the  Great  School  of  Masonry  is 
based  on  the  Science  of  Ethics. 


"The  Catholic  Church  is  the  sole 
living  and  enduring  Christian  au- 
thority. 

"She  has  the  power  to  speak;  she 
has  an  organization  by  which  her 
laws  may  be  enforced. 

"Our  work  is  to  make  America 
Catholic. 

"Our  cry  shall  be,  'God  wills  it,' 
and  our  hearts  shall  leap  with  Cru- 
sader enthusiasm."  —  Archbishop 
Ireland  (1889). 


FREEMASONRY  AS  A  PHILOSOPHY 
OF  LIFE. 


Science  is  analytical.  It  takes  things 
apart  and  examines  them  in  detail. 

Philosophy  is  synthetic.  It  puts  things 
together  to  discover  relations,  order  and 
Law. 

The  facts  of  experience,  gathered  and 
demonstrated  by  observation  and  experi- 
ment and  then  arranged  in  orderly 
sequence  so  as  to  reveal  the  Law  of  correct 
living,  constitute  the  Philosophy  of  Life. 

Real  knowledge  is  never  confusing,  never 
obscure.  Speculation,  theorizing,  opinions 
held  regardless  of  facts,  ignoring  both 
Science  and  Philosophy — these  lead  to  con- 
fusion, obscurity,  wrangling,  hatred,  dog- 
matism, and  often  to  persecution. 

The  real  and  basic  principles  of  Science 
are  axiomatic,  like  the  principles  in  mathe- 
matics, self-evident.  Demonstrable  propo- 
101 


102 The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

sitions  are  not  dogmatic  opinions  but  the 
reverse.  Only  the  very  ignorant  or  vicious 
confuse  them. 

Now,  if  the  aim  of  Science  be  "to  enable 
us  to  discern  the  rational  order  that  per- 
vades the  universe",  the  interpretation  and 
formulation  of  the  principles  which  deter- 
mine that  "rational  order"  is  Philosophy 
— a  synthetic  apprehension  of  the  whole. 
So  also,  if  the  Science  of  Ethics  can  deduce 
from  the  facts  of  experience  the  essentials 
of  morals,  or  right  conduct,  the  Philosophy 
of  Life  will  arrange  these  basic  principles 
in  rational  order,  or  sequence,  and  so  re- 
veal and  formulate  the  Law  of  Life. 

The  facts  in  human  experience  are  innu- 
merable. The  incidents  and  vicissitudes  of 
life  are  infinitely  variable;  but  the  princi- 
ples of  action  and  the  motives  upon  which 
individuals  act  are  few  and  simple. 

For  example :  Take  the  principle  of  mus- 
cular action,  both  voluntary  and  involun- 
tary. It  may  be  clearly  defined  and  easily 
apprehended.  But  the  varying  force, 
forms,  impulses  and  results  of  muscular 
motion  are  endless.  The  same  principle 
applies  to  all  the  faculties,  capacities  and 


As  a  Philosophy  of  Life 103 

powers  of  man.  The  principle  that  under- 
lies action  is  comparatively  simple.  The 
varieties  or  forms  and  conditions  of  action 
are  endless.  Were  it  otherwise,  mankind 
would  be  bewildered,  and  hopelessly  in- 
volved in  the  labyrinth  of  life. 

The  Science  of  Ethics  and  the  Philos- 
ophy of  Life,  as  such,  are  never  mentioned 
in  a  Masonic  Lodge,  and  yet  any  just  esti- 
mate and  intelligent  analysis  of  the  ritual 
and  work  of  the  Lodge  reveal  just  this 
Science  and  this  Philosophy.  Moreover, 
these  basic  truths  are  there  condensed, 
epitomized,  illustrated,  and  dramatically 
represented  and  realized,  as  nowhere  else 
in  the  world  today.  The  ritual  of  initia- 
tion is  thus  the  curriculum  of  the  School 
of  Masonry.  Perhaps  few  Masons  analyze 
and  realize  this,  and  never  until  they  do 
are  they  in  a  position  fully  to  appreciate 
the  " rights  and  benefits"  of  this  ancient 
and  noble  Order. 

Now,  what  is  this  Philosophy  of  Life  as 
taught  in  the  School  of  Masonry? 

In  the  world  outside,  ethical  instruction 
and  moral  education  are  largely  the  prov- 
ince of  religion.  The  Christian  religion  in 


104 The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

all  its  forms  and  denominations,  whether 
Catholic  or  Protestant,  accepts  and  pro- 
mulgates the  doctrine  of  the  immortality  of 
the  human  soul.  The  doctrine  of  rewards 
and  punishments  hereafter  is  made  the 
strongest  argument  or  impulse  to  right- 
eousness. This  seemed  necessary  from  the 
fact  that  here,  the  righteous  have  often  a 
hard  time,  and  the  wicked  prosper  and  go 
unpunished.  Hence,  to  secure  justice  and 
promote  morality,  the  religious  teacher  has 
to  beg  the  question  here,  and  appeal  to  the 
unknown  hereafter. 

The  doctrine  of  immortality,  and  that  of 
future  rewards  and  punishments,  are  held 
and  promulgated  as  dogmas,  articles  of 
faith  set  forth  in  a  creed.  To  justify  this 
belief,  and  support  this  dogma  of  life  be- 
yond the  grave,  with  conditions  of  happi- 
ness or  misery  to  be  determined  by  the  life 
led  here,  the  teaching  of  Scripture  is  ap- 
pealed to,  and  the  resurrection  of  Jesus 
and  his  appearing  to  his  disciples  are  held 
as  verifying  the  dogma  of  immortality. 

Without  denying  either  the  immortality 
of  the  soul,  the  resurrection  of  Jesus,  or 
that  the  life  of  man  hereafter  is  based  upon 


As  a  Philosophy  of  Life  105 

and  determined  by  his  present  life,  it  may 
easily  be  shown  that  one  may  accept  these 
dogmas,  and  wholly  escape  the  charge  of 
heresy  and  irreligion,  and  yet  be  exceed- 
ingly immoral,  and  ignorant  of  every  prin- 
ciple of  ethics. 

Numberless  illustrations  can  be  found  in 
the  Catholic  Church  of  men  whose  ortho- 
doxy remained  unquestioned,  who  accepted, 
and  loudly  proclaimed  their  belief  in  the 
confession  of  faith,  and  yet  whose  lives 
were  wholly  immoral,  and  who  were  guilty 
of  every  cruelty  and  almost  every  crime 
from  incest  to  murder.  This  fact  by  no 
means  invalidates  the  beliefs  per  se  above 
referred  to.  Numberless  other  individuals 
have  accepted  and  adhered  to  these  beliefs, 
and  led  holy  and  beneficent  lives.  The 
evil-doer  was  wicked  and  immoral  in  spite 
of  his  belief. 

The  conclusion  is  that  too  much  stress 
has  often  been  laid  on  the  acceptance  of 
dogmas,  and  too  little  on  ethics,  or  the 
' '  Living  of  the  Life. ' ' 

The  crucial  point  is  the  acceptance  and 
realization  of  the  fact  of  personal  responsi- 
bility. In  the  religious  creed  this  fact  is 


106 The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

not  only  largely  ignored  or  annulled,  but 
by  the  pernicious  doctrine  of  the  vicarious 
atonement,  absolution,  or  the  forgiveness 
of  sin  for  a  money  consideration,  and 
prayers  for  the  dead  for  a  like  considera- 
tion, the  moral  effect  attached  to  the  dogma 
of  immortality  and  future  rewards  and 
punishments  is  destroyed.  By  the  pur- 
chase of  " Indulgence"  the  dogma  puts  a 
premium  on  crime.  The  confusion  and 
viciousness  here  revealed  arise  from  the 
absence  of  any  clear  philosophy  of  life,  any 
real  science  of  ethics. 

Freemasonry  is  not  a  religion.  It  is  a 
school  of  ethics.  It  not  only  does  not  repu- 
diate any  true  principle  of  religion,  but 
gives  to  each  and  all  the  great  religions 
equal  courtesy,  and  fraternal  considera- 
tion. It  confines  its  teaching  to  ethics,  and 
thence  deduces  or  instils  a  true  Philosophy 
of  Life.  It  begins  with  a  belief  in  God,  the 
Immortality  of  the  Soul,  and  the  Brother- 
hood of  Man;  but  once  these  great  truths, 
derived  equally  from  all  religions,  are  ac- 
cepted, it  neither  dogmatizes  nor  theolo- 
gizes. It  never  troubles  itself  with  the  * '  or- 
thodoxy" of  its  members.  It  knows  no 


As  a  Philosophy  of  Life 107 

trials  for  heresy.  It  never  persecutes,  but 
confines  itself  strictly  to  the  exercise  of  the 
Masonic  Virtues — Brotherly  Love,  Belief, 
and  Truth. 

True,  if  one  were  to  become  a  "  loud- 
mouthed atheist,"  he  would  have  first  re- 
pudiated that  belief  in  God  which  he  pro- 
fessed on  entering  the  Lodge,  and  he  would 
no  longer  represent  its  teachings,  or  de- 
serve to  be  considered  a  * '  just  and  upright 
Mason."  He  could  only  misrepresent  Ma- 
sonry and  should  retire  from  the  Order. 

Masonry  does  not  define,  nor  dogmatize 
upon  this  "belief  in  God."  One  may  in- 
clude it  in  his  concept  of  Nature,  as  that 
Divine  Intelligence  that  is  in  all,  through 
all,  and  over  all.  He  may  formulate  his 
concept  of  a  Personal  God,  and  call  it  Je- 
hovah. Masonry  designates  it  as  the  Grand 
Architect  of  the  Universe,  and  the  idea  of 
the  Fatherhood  of  God  follows  the  concept 
of  the  Brotherhood  of  Man.  Certainly  the 
concept,  "the  Builder  of  the  Universe," 
does  not  imply  a  fetich,  nor  a  jealous,  re- 
vengeful, overgrown  man. 

Thus  it  may  be  seen  that  the  province  of 
Freemasonry  is  not  that  of  religion;  that 


108 The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

it  is  not  a  rival  nor  an  antagonist  of  true 
religion.  Wherever  any  so-called  religion 
becomes  a  subversion  of  all  just  principles 
of  ethics,  and  by  annulling  personal  re- 
sponsibility inculcates  or  leads  to  immoral- 
ity, there  Masonry  takes  issue.  But  not 
even  there  does  it  so  long  as  such  "Relig- 
ion" confines  itself  to  its  legitimate  sphere. 
When,  however,  under  the  garb  of  religion, 
it  enters  politics,  and  seeks  to  dominate  the 
whole  community,  and  arrogantly  claims 
"all  power  on  earth  and  in  heaven,"  and 
seeks  to  gain  that  power  here  by  every 
trick  or  subterfuge  known  to  the  Political 
Boss,  then  Masonry  protests  in  the  name  of 
Morals  and  the  Common  Bights  of  Man, 
and  stands  squarely  arrayed  against  it.  It 
regards  such  an  aspirant  to  political  power, 
through  the  union  of  Church  and  State,  as 
the  most  hostile  institution  possible  to  the 
rights  of  man,  and  the  interests  of  a  free 
people,  that  can  be  imagined,  and  more 
dangerous  to  human  liberty  than  any  in- 
vading Despot  of  Barbarism. 

Better  by  far  an  army  with  banners,  bay- 
onets, ironclads,  and  cannons,  than  this  in- 
vader under  the  garb  of  "Religion."  Men 


As  a  Philosophy  of  Life 109 

would  fly  to  arms  at  sight  of  the  former, 
who  are  disarmed,  deceived  and  hypno- 
tized by  the  hypocrisy  of  the  latter.  Better 
the  foe  in  the  field  than  one  in  ambush. 

Intelligently  conceived  and  apprehended, 
Science,  Philosophy  and  Eeligion  are  so 
many  departments  of  Knowledge  derived 
from  human  experience.  The  dogmatist 
will  deny  this,  and  claim  that  true  religion 
is  a  direct  revelation  from  God  to  man, 
overlooking,  ignoring  or  denying  the  fact, 
that,  even  if  revelation  be  thus  admitted, 
its  reception  in  the  beginning  by  him  to 
whom  it  is  first  revealed,  is  essentially  a 
human  experience. 

This  fact  is  again  evaded  or  denied  by 
deifying  or  canonizing  the  recipient.  It  is 
seldom  admitted  that  all  truths  beneficent 
to  man  appeal  directly  to  his  conscience 
and  understanding.  Hence  they  are  dog- 
matically enforced  with  threatened  penal- 
ties and  punishments  for  heresy,  or  their 
rejection.  In  other  words,  superstition  and 
fear  more  or  less  enter  into  all  religious  in- 
stitutions. 

The  purpose  of  this  discussion  is  not  to 
attack,  criticise  or  belittle  religion,  but  to 


110  The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

show  the  difference  between  so-called  re- 
ligion and  Freemasonry.  If  the  Eoman 
Catholic  Hierarchy  could  keep  its  hands  off 
Politics  and  confine  itself  to  the  legitimate 
sphere  of  religion,  instead  of  menacing  as 
it  does  the  Liberty  and  inalienable  rights 
of  all  men,  Masonry  would  have  no  war 
with  Eomanism. 

We  are  now  ready  to  answer  the  question 
— What  is  the  Philosophy  of  Life  as  taught 
in  Freemasonry? 

In  the  first  place,  it  rests  upon  and 
emanates  from  the  Science  of  Ethics.  The 
faculties,  capacities  and  powers  of  the  in- 
dividual intelligence  are  to  be  cultivated 
for  the  greatest  good,  and  adapted  to  the 
noblest  use.  These,  in  their  exercise,  bring 
us  into  social  relations  with  our  fellowmen. 
This  relation  is  fraternal.  It  recognizes 
Brotherhood.  It  is  inspired  and  guided  by 
Love.  Fraternal  Love  alone  insures 
Justice. 

We  give  and  receive  continually,  not  al- 
ways the  same  things,  nor  in  the  same  de- 
gree, but  according  to  circumstances,  or 
necessities.  One  bestows  with  real  pleas- 
ure and  graciousness.  One  receives  with 


As  a  Philosophy  of  Life 111 

appreciation  and  gratitude,  and  in  each 
instance  the  spirit  of  fraternity  is  deepened 
and  sweetened.  The  giver  is  not  puffed  up 
with  pride,  nor  the  receiver  humiliated. 
Back  of  all  this  code  of  ethics  that  deter- 
mines conduct,  lies  the  principle  of  per- 
sonal responsibility,  and  duty  becomes  a 
pleasure.  It  may  be  equally  a  duty  to  give 
or  to  receive. 

Here  we  may  discern  "rational  order'*, 
in  the  conduct  of  life,  as  related  to  our- 
selves, and  to  others.  It  is  making  the  best 
use  of  our  faculties,  capacities  and  powers, 
of  all  our  opportunities  and  resources. 
This  rational  order  in  conduct,  and  in  re- 
lation to  others,  is  the  basis  of  morals,  the 
Science  of  Ethics.  The  result  is  the  true 
Philosophy  of  Life.  It  is  the  best  possible 
foundation  of  any  true  Religion. 

Eeligion  naturally  and  rationally  begins 
where  this  Science  of  Life  leaves  off.  It 
purifies  and  elevates  the  emotions.  It  adds 
aspiration  to  all  our  intuitions,  and  brings 
the  illumination  of  the  Divine  Love  into 
the  ' '  Kingdom  of  Heaven  within  the  human 
soul. ' '  Hence  the  saying  of  Jesus — ' '  Inas- 
much as  ye  have  done  it  unto  the  least  of 


112  The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

these,  my  brethren,  ye  have  done  it  unto 
me." 

This  Philosophy  of  Life  taught  in  Free- 
masonry is  not  obscure  and  difficult.  The 
difficulty  arises  solely  from  our  unwilling- 
ness to  practice  it,  or  to  live  up  to  it.  It  is 
merely  working  out  the  Golden  Rule,  the 
realization  of  Fraternity,  or  the  universal 
and  unqualified  Brotherhood  of  Man.  Ma- 
sonry means  just  this,  or  it  is  meaningless. 
No  just  and  upright  Mason  will  deny  that 
this  is  precisely  the  teaching  of  the  Lodge, 
the  plainest  possible  interpretation  of  the 
whole  ritual,  the  meaning  of  the  dramatic 
ceremony  of  Initiation. 

The  real  Masters  of  the  Great  School 
from  which  Masonry  sprung,  and  by  whom 
it  was  instituted,  are  simply  those  who 
have  realized  this  Initiation,  apprehended 
this  philosophy  of  life,  and  lived  up  to  this 
science  of  ethics  in  spirit  and  in  truth. 
Without  juggling  with  words,  can  a  "Per- 
fect and  Sublime  Master"  mean  less  than 
this? 

Not  only  the  world  at  large  but  even  the 
great  majority  of  Masons  have  yet  to  learn 
that  the  essential  problems  of  correct  liv- 


As  a  Philosophy  of  Life 113 

ing  and  the  highest  attainment  for  man 
have  all  been  worked  out  ages  ago,  and  the 
data  formulated  and  recorded  for  the  bene- 
fit of  coming  generations. 

What  is  the  greatest  good,  and  the  high- 
est possible  attainment  for  man1?  Is  it  not 
exact  knowledge  of  his  own  faculties,  ca- 
pacities, and  powers,  their  highest  use  for 
the  noblest  ends,  and  the  steadfast,  unwav- 
ering determination,  the  constant  en- 
deavor, to  achieve  those  results?  Opinion, 
conjecture,  belief,  will  not  do.  But  Faith  is 
another  thing  entirely. 

Faith  is  the  soul's  intuitive  conviction  of 
that  which  both  reason  and  conscience  ap- 
prove. The  foundation  of  true  Faith  is 
knowledge  gained  by  observation  and  ex- 
perience, and  this  is  also  the  foundation  of 
Science.  The  crown,  the  glory,  the  uplift 
of  faith,  add  wings  to  the  aspiring  soul, 
and  as  a  Light,  indicate  the  lines  of  least 
resistance  and  greatest  progress;  and  this 
is  only  another  form  of  expression  for  that 
''rational  order",  which,  when  clearly  dis- 
cerned and  accurately  formulated,  consti- 
tutes Philosophy. 

Life  in  modern  times  is  complicated  and 


114  The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

wonderfully  diversified,  and  yet  there  is  re- 
cently quite  a  "craze"  over  the  "Simple 
Life."  Many  good  and  intelligent  people 
see  the  necessity  and  feel  a  strong  impulse 
to  return  to  simpler  ways  of  living.  All 
our  activities  and  experiences  are  almost 
endlessly  diversified.  Our  necessities  are 
few,  but  our  conveniences,  luxuries,  dissi- 
pations, ambitions  and  abominations  are 
legion,  and  soon  or  late  we  realize  that  few 
of  them  pay.  By  and  by  we  begin  to  look 
within,  to  take  account  of  stock,  to  take  an 
inventory  of  our  resources  and  our  real 
possessions.  Then  it  is,  that  we  first 
realize  our  possessions,  examine  and  verify 
our  title-deed,  and  enter  into  our  real  king- 
dom. Then  comes  the  Law  of  Use,  the 
Science  of  Ethics,  the  Philosophy  of  Life. 
This  is  real  Initiation,  whether  achieved 
alone,  in  the  silence  of  the  desert,  in  the 
groves,  which  "were  God's  first  Temples", 
in  the  sublimity  and  repose  of  the  moun- 
tain-tops, or  through  the  dramatic  ritual  of 
the  Lodge,  or  the  "Mysteries."  The  real 
Work  is  internal.  It  first  transforms,  and 
then  transfigures.  There  have  been  those 
in  every  age  who  have  experienced  this 


As  a  Philosophy  of  Life 115 

transfiguration,  and  become  Masters.  They 
are  Fathers  of  the  fatherless,  and 
"Helpers  of  all  who  need."  "By  their 
works  ye  shall  know  them. ' '  They  have  ex- 
emplified and  so  revealed  the  true  Philoso- 
phy of  Life  with  which  Freemasonry  is  in 
full  accord. 


"The  spirit  and  character  of  the 
Inquisition  have  poisoned  the  blood 
of  the  body  politic  in  every  nation 
where  Rome  yet  has  ecclesiastical 
hold  upon  the  people." — King. 


FEEEMASONEY  AS  A  GEEAT 
SCHOOL. 


The  Schools  of  antiquity  have  been  nu- 
merous and  some  of  them  very  famous. 
Among  the  Hebrews  there  were  the  Schools 
of  the  Prophets  and  the  Eabbinical  Schools 
with  great  teachers  versed  in  the  Law  and 
the  Tradition.  Among  the  Persians  there 
was  the  School  of  Zoroaster,  and  among  the 
Greeks  they  were  very  numerous,  for  be- 
side the  great  names,  the  founders  of  sects 
and  schools  like  Aristotle,  Plato,  Pytha- 
goras and  many  others,  there  were  the 
Mysteries,  in  which  many  of  these  leaders 
and  teachers  were  taught.  Still  earlier 
than  this,  there  were  the  Schools  of  Egypt, 
Arabia  and  of  India. 

From  these  Schools,  Philosophies  have 
emanated,  and  it  is  a  very  interesting  study 
to  compare  the  various  Schools  and  trace 
the  analogies  and  the  various  theories  of 

117 


118 The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

life,  and  the  origin  of  doctrines  and  dog- 
mas. The  Science  of  Ethics  and  the  Philos- 
ophy of  Life  may  be  traced  in  the  teach- 
ings of  all  these  Schools. 

They  all  concerned  themselves  with  hu- 
man conduct,  with  the  relation  of  men  to 
each  other,  and  to  that  Power  everywhere 
and  at  all  times  recognized  as  above  and 
beyond  man,  and  to  which  he  is  indebted 
for  his  existence  and  owes  allegiance, 
whether  it  be  that  Nature-worship  which 
we  designate  as  Idolatry,  or  Pantheism, 
Deism,  Theism  and  the  worship  of  the 
gods. 

Sometimes  the  term  ' '  School '  '  is  used  in 
a  very  vague  and  indefinite  way,  to  desig- 
nate only  a  prevailing  line  of  research,  with 
perhaps  only  general  agreement  as  to  a 
few  basic  principles  and  methods  of 
procedure.  The  "School  of  Modern  Sci- 
ence" is  such  a  term,  where  perhaps  hardly 
any  two  of  its  disciples  would  define  its 
boundaries,  laws  and  precepts  in  precisely 
the  same  terms.  They  would,  however, 
agree  in  a  few  broad  essentials. 

From  all  this  we  discern  the  tendency  of 
thinkers,  leaders,  and  wise  men  to  gather 


Freemasonry  as  a  Great  School 119 

about  them  students  and  disciples,  and  the 
prevailing  custom  of  men  at  all  times  and 
in  all  countries  to  group  themselves  in 
sects,  schools,  parties,  or  believers  giving 
general  assent  to  certain  principles,  pre- 
cepts, or  dogmas,  and  holding  these  with 
dispassionate  moderation,  or  with  the  blind 
zeal  of  fanatics. 

It  is  not  difficult  to  find  among  these 
Schools  of  antiquity,  and  in  every  age, 
those  that  dealt  largely  in  ethics  and  econo- 
mics, leaving  theological  questions  largely 
out  of  account,  dealing  thus  with  the  facts 
of  common  experience,  and  the  common 
well-being  of  man. 

Some  of  these  ancient  Schools  denied, 
and  some  affirmed  the  existence  and  immor- 
tality of  the  human  soul.  Some  dealt  dog- 
matically with  some  concept  of  Divinity, 
and  so  gave  rise  to  creed,  dogma  and  bitter 
disputes  and  antagonisms  over  things  con- 
cerning which  they  had  only  a  text  of  scrip- 
ture, or  the  opinion  of  a  "wise  man,"  or 
the  sayings  of  a  prophet. 

Among  some  of  these  ancient  Schools 
there  arose  the  process  and  the  practice  of 
so-called  Initiation.  This  practice  pre- 


120  The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

vailed  in  all  the  so-called  Mysteries  of  an- 
tiquity, in  the  Schools  of  the  Hebrews, 
Greeks,  Arabians,  Egyptians,  Hindoos,  and 
among  the  early  Christians  for  the  first  two 
or  three  centuries. 

The  meaning  of  this  initiation  was,  first, 
to  instruct  and  indoctrinate  the  candidate, 
and  afterward  to  secure  experience  in  put- 
ting in  practice  the  precepts  and  instruc- 
tions gained.  These  Initiations  in  many 
cases  assumed  fantastic  forms,  degen- 
erated into  license  and  debauchery,  and  in 
others  were  so  severe  and  horrible  as  to 
endanger  life,  or  result  in  insanity. 

In  spite  of  all  these  abominations  and 
abuses,  the  principle  remains,  and  true  In- 
itiation represents  first,  the  instruction  of 
the  individual  as  to  the  nature  of  his  own 
Faculties,  Capacities  and  Powers,  and  be- 
yond this,  their  highest  and  noblest  use  in 
the  process  of  normal  evolution.  This,  in 
its  highest,  broadest  and  best  sense,  is  Edu- 
cation, drawing  out  man's  natural  capaci- 
ties and  ascertaining  their  best  use. 

All  schools,  colleges  and  universities  of 
the  present  day  aim,  with  more  or  less  di- 
rectness and  intelligence,  at  precisely  this 


Freemasonry  as  a  Great  School  121 

result.  They  more  often,  however,  pour 
into  the  individual  student  the  opinions  of 
men,  leaving  the  student  often  as  ignorant 
and  helpless  as  before,  regarding  his  own 
nature,  capacities,  and  their  highest  and 
best  use. 

Rightly  understood,  true  Initiation 
means  Education  in  the  highest  and  best 
sense.  The  Technical  Schools  that  teach 
the  Arts  and  Crafts  at  the  present  time,  as 
far  as  they  go,  come  the  nearest  to  the 
idea  of  a  true  Initiation.  The  student  so 
instructed  gains  a  most  valuable  practical 
experience  that  he  can  put  to  use  in  after 
life. 

Freemasonry  is  a  great  School  of  In- 
struction in  the  conduct  of  life,  and  the 
whole  ceremony  of  Initiation  is  specially 
designed  and  adapted  to  bring  to  the  con- 
sciousness of  the  individual  candidate  those 
basic  principles  that  lie  at  the  foundation 
of  all  human  progress  and  the  well-being  of 
man.  By  instituting  this  ceremony  of  Ini- 
tiation, through  a  common  tradition  and 
uniform  ritual,  by  the  selection  of  symbols 
and  ceremonies,  and  providing  against 
their  alteration,  the  most  completely  to 


122  The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

embody,  express  and  illustrate  the  essen- 
tials of  right  conduct  in  all  human  rela- 
tions, the  Genius  of  Freemasonry  not  only 
stands  without  a  rival  today,  but  as  far  as 
it  goes  and  is  applicable  to  the  average  in- 
telligence of  good  men  and  true,  worthy 
and  qualified  for  such  an  instruction,  it  is 
not  transcended  by  the  best  Schools  known 
in  any  age  or  among  any  people. 

Nothing  in  the  whole  history  of  man  is 
more  remarkable  than  the  existence  of  this 
School  today,  assuming  essentially  its  pres- 
ent form  more  than  two  hundred  years  ago, 
and  remaining  practically  unchanged. 
Those  who  choose  may  look  upon  this  as  a 
fortunate  accident.  Those  who  find  in  Na- 
ture and  in  life  no  result  without  a  suffi- 
cient cause,  will  recognize  in  Freemasonry 
both  intelligent  design  and  the  most  trans- 
cendent human  wisdom,  making  use  of  cer- 
tain knowledge  for  the  most  specific  ends. 
The  real  student  finds  here  neither  accident 
nor  the  commonplace. 

The  aim  at  this  point  is  not  to  magnify, 
but  to  understand  and  appreciate.  Here 
lies  the  real  secret  of  all  great  discoveries 
and  utilities.  Edison  appreciated  the  pos- 


Freemasonry  as  a  Great  School 123 

sibilities  of  electricity,  and  studied  and  ex- 
perimented with  zeal  and  determination  to 
discover,  apply  and  utilize  these  possibili- 
ties. They  call  him  a  "genius",  a  "wiz- 
ard", and  yet  his  whole  course  consists  in 
observation,  reflection,  reasoning,  and  then 
adapting  or  utilizing.  So  also  with  Mar- 
coni and  every  great  discoverer  in  Science. 

The  Science  of  Life  offers  no  exception 
to  the  rule.  There  have  been  men  here  with 
intelligence,  zeal  and  persistence  equal  to 
that  of  any  recognized  scientist,  who  for 
the  desire  of  knowledge  and  progress,  and 
for  love  of  man,  have  sought  and  attained 
wisdom.  All  real  progress  of  the  individ- 
ual in  the  one  case,  as  in  the  other,  is  a  true 
initiation. 

Each  great  discoverer  will  tell  you,  like 
Newton,  that  at  best  he  has  only  gathered  a 
few  pebbles  on  the  shore  of  the  measureless 
ocean  of  truth,  and  that  the  discoveries  he 
has  made  seem  to  him  as  nothing  beside 
the  possibilities  he  discerns  beyond.  Only 
the  ignorant,  superficial  and  conceited  are 
satisfied  with  their  own  achievements  and 
doubtful  as  to  the  great  beyond  of  human 
progress. 


124 The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

The  love  of  Truth,  and  the  desire  for  cer- 
tain knowledge  are  often  an  all-absorbing 
passion  of  the  human  soul,  apart  from  any 
use  that  can  be  made  of  such  knowledge,  or 
any  personal  gain  likely  to  follow  its  pos- 
session. In  one  form  or  another  it  is  in- 
nate as  a  natural  instinct,  like  the  love  of 
art  or  music.  It  "grows  by  what  it  feeds 
on, ' '  that  is,  the  more  it  is  indulged  or  culti- 
vated the  stronger  it  becomes.  In  this  way 
the  true  genius  arises.  Talent  develops 
art,  and  this,  almost  unconsciously,  blos- 
soms into  genius. 

The  point  of  first  importance  in  all  cases 
is  the  discovery  or  manifestation  of  talent, 
tendency,  or  adaptation  in  the  given  direc- 
tion. This  means  capacity  to  apprehend, 
utilize,  or  accomplish  along  certain  lines.  It 
is  as  natural  that  one  should  develop  along 
these  lines  as  for  a  child  to  romp  and  dance 
in  the  exuberance  of  youthful  joy.  The 
tendency  is  innate  and  the  manifestation  is 
spontaneous  and  repressed  with  difficulty. 

All  the  great  artists,  musicians,  scien- 
tists, discoverers,  and  explorers  have  man- 
ifested this  innate  tendency  or  latent  ca- 
pacity. So  also  with  the  mystics,  prophets, 


Freemasonry  as  a  Great  School 125 

seers  and  redeemers  of  the  human  race. 
Buddha  and  Jesus  were  no  exceptions  to 
this  rule.  The  boy  Jesus  at  the  age  of 
twelve  was  found  disputing  with  his  elders 
and  confounding  the  priests  in  the  temple ; 
just  as  Mozart  at  the  age  of  six  astonished 
the  older  musicians. 

There  is  nothing  miraculous  in  any  of 
these  cases,  however  exceptional  or  un- 
usual they  may  be.  They  all  group  natur- 
ally under  one  general  head. 

In  the  case  of  Jesus,  and  the  great  seers 
and  prophets  of  antiquity,  the  talent  or  ca- 
pacity, instead  of  being  confined  to  one  spe- 
cial line  like  art  or  music,  for  example,  was 
rather  an  all-around  development  of  the  in- 
nate faculties,  capacities  and  powers,  giv- 
ing rise  to  intuition  and  quick  perception 
of  the  relation  and  value  of  things  in  indi- 
vidual life  and  human  experience. 

The  individual,  so  endowed,  realized  his 
resources,  and  appreciated  his  personal  re- 
sponsibilities. The  light  of  what  we  call 
conscience  was  thus  full  and  strong  in  him. 
Self-mastery  followed  as  a  natural  se- 
quence of  recognizing  and  utilizing  his  re- 
sources. Such  an  individual  was  nearer  to 


126 The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

Nature,  in  closer  fellowship  with  man,  and 
nearer  to  God,  than  the  ordinary  individ- 
ual. Here,  then,  lies  the  natural  evolution 
of  a  Master. 

The  Great  Schools  of  antiquity  and  of  all 
time  in  which  genuine  Initiation  was  under- 
stood and  practiced  on  the  candidate,  al- 
ways worked  on  the  lines  above  indicated, 
and  undertook  to  realize,  as  far  as  possible, 
the  same  result;  viz.,  Wisdom  and  Self- 
mastery.  The  title  "Master",  applied  in 
any  other  sense  is  meaningless,  or  a  mere 
compliment. 

That  Initiation,  therefore,  by  which  the 
candidate  gained  continually  more  and 
more  Light,  gained  self-control  and  became 
Master  in  the  building  of  his  own  character 
was,  and  is  today,  something  more  than  an 
empty  show,  or  a  meaningless  ceremony. 

The  candidate  for  real  Initiation  was  al- 
ways selected ;  that  is,  he  gained  admission 
to  the  first  step,  or  first  degree,  by  evincing 
interest  in  and  capacity  for  the  acquire- 
ment of  real  knowledge.  If  he  were  found 
indifferent,  insincere  or  lacking  in  capacity 
for  such  work,  he  was  never  admitted.  It 
is,  therefore,  by  no  means  a  meaningless 


Freemasonry  as  a  Great  School 127 

phrase  to  inquire  at  every  step  if  the  candi- 
date be  worthy  and  qualified,  and  duly  pre- 
pared. The  ceremony  of  and  in  the  prep- 
aration room  symbolizes  just  these  prelimi- 
nary and  invariable  requirements. 

No  regularly  initiated  Freemason  can 
fail  to  see  the  relations  of  all  the  foregoing 
to  the  ritual  and  ceremony  of  initiation  in 
the  Masters '  Lodge,  or  in  what  sense  Free- 
masonry is  a  Great  School  in  strict  keeping 
with  the  traditions  of  the  past  and  in  the 
best  sense  of  the  term  real  Initiation. 

In  every  case,  in  all  time  and  under  all 
circumstances,  the  results  of  this  initiation 
depend,  in  the  last  analysis,  upon  the  can- 
didate himself.  Proficiency  in  the  preced- 
ing degree  is  always  the  essential.  If  he 
fails  to  apprehend  and  makes  no  progress 
in  one  degree,  that  bars  him  from  the  next 
degree. 

It  is  said  that  in  the  School  of  Pytha- 
goras students  sometimes  remained  for 
years  in  the  outer  courts,  "hewers  of  wood, 
and  drawers  of  water,*'  and  sometimes 
failed  entirely  and  were  returned  to  the 
outer  world.  Community  life  was  the  rule 
among  them,  and  when  the  candidate 


128  The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

finally  failed  and  returned  to  the  outer 
world  he  was  given  twice  the  value  of  all  he 
had  brought  to  the  community.  This  ren- 
dered charges  of  injustice  against  him  im- 
possible. It  also  must  have  induced  care  in 
the  selection  of  the  candidates. 

Initiation  in  Freemasonry  symbolizes  in 
every  case  real  Initiation.  The  one  resem- 
bles the  other,  precisely  as  the  substitute 
for  the  Master's  Word  resembles  the  real 
Word.  The  loss  of  the  real  word  and  the 
hope  of  its  future  recovery  show  the  true 
relation  of  our  present  Order  of  Freema- 
sonry to  the  real  School  of  the  Masters 
from  which  it  originated. 

Freemasonry  is  a  Great  School  in  an- 
other sense;  viz.,  in  the  uniformity  of  its 
landmarks,  traditions  and  ritual,  and  in  its 
world-wide  diffusion.  Its  Lodges  are  found 
in  nearly  every  country  of  the  civilized 
globe,  and  there  are  traces  of  it  among  the 
native  Indians  of  North  and  South  Amer- 
ica. It  therefore  includes  in  its  fellowship 
millions  of  the  best  men  to  be  found  on 
earth  today. 

The  Great  School  from  which  Masonry 
originally  sprung,  composed  of  real  Mas- 


Freemasonry  as  a  Great  School  129 

ters  such  as  above  described,  has  recently 
appealed  to  the  Intelligence  of  the  present 
age,  under  the  title  of  ' '  The  School  of  Nat- 
ural Science. ' '  This  School  is  not  of  recent 
origin,  we  are  told  by  the  author  of  the 
book,  "The  Great  Work",  in  which  its 
teachings  are  broadly  outlined. 

Just  as  the  teachings  of  Freemasonry 
have  been  perpetuated  year  after  year,  and 
generation  after  generation  by  initiates  in 
the  Order,  aiming  at  the  same  results 
through  an  unaltered  ritual,  so  in  the  par- 
ent school  the  real  knowledge  has  been  pre- 
served by  the  same  process  for  ages,  and 
transmitted  unaltered  to  the  present  time. 
No  one  can  be  expected  to  understand  how 
this  can  be,  so  well  as  a  regularly  initiated 
Freemason. 

Let  any  Brother  imagine  his  departure 
from  the  earthlife,  and  his  return  after, 
say,  a  hundred  years.  Knowing  what  he 
does  of  the  Work  in  the  Lodge,  the  care 
taken  to  perfect  the  language  and  yet  to 
alter  no  essential  feature  of  the  work,  he 
can  easily  imagine  that  he  would  feel  quite 
"at  home"  on  his  return  and  drop  into  his 
accustomed  place  and  share  in  the  work 


130 The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

then  as  now.  Hence  the  saying — "Once  a 
Mason,  always  a  Mason." 

The  essential  thing  that  is  thus  pre- 
served and  transmitted  in  Masonry  and  in 
the  Great  Lodge  is  not  a  creed,  nor  a 
dogma  based  upon  the  opinions  of  men,  and 
so  capable  of  various  interpretations  and 
destined  to  be  changed  as  intelligence  ad- 
vances and  mankind  gains  larger  and 
broader  views  of  life.  It  is  rather  as 
though  the  wisdom  of  the  ages,  the  greatest 
achievements  of  man  in  the  essentials  of 
right  living,  a  knowledge  of  self  and  our 
duty  to  others,  had  been  condensed  into  a 
few  essential  principles  and  these  repre- 
sented and  inculcated  in  such  a  way  as  to 
constitute  a  personal  experience  in  the  ini- 
tiation of  every  candidate.  This  is  pre- 
cisely what  the  author  of  the  book  above  re- 
ferred to  represents  by  * '  the  School  of  Nat- 
ural Science." 

Science  deals  with  facts,  institutes  ex- 
periments, and  undertakes  to  discover 
laws.  The  result  is  knowledge.  Philosophy 
speculates  and  reasons,  while  Religion,  so- 
called,  dogmatizes  —  "thus  saith  the 
Lord." 


131 


Freemasonry  and  the  Great  School 
neither  speculate  nor  dogmatize,  but  under- 
take to  teach  the  candidate  by  a  personal 
experience  the  essentials  of  ethics  and  to 
place  vividly  before  the  mind  those  essen- 
tial principles  that  determine  individual 
character  and  promote  the  well-being  of  so- 
ciety. 

Masonry  today  bears  the  same  relation 
to  the  Great  Parent  School  that  the  Lesser 
Mysteries  bore  to  the  Greater  in  the  best 
Schools  of  antiquity,  notably  those  spoken 
of  by  Plato,  and  the  School  of  Pythagoras 
in  Greece. 

Every  intelligent  Freemason  can  see  how 
little  what  we  call ' '  modern  progress ' '  has 
altered  or  is  likely  to  alter  the  essentials 
of  Freemasonry.  It  would  be  difficult  to 
imagine  any  body  of  doctrines  or  princi- 
ples that  so  readily  touch  the  heart  and  ap- 
peal so  directly  to  the  conscience  of  men, 
and  yet  at  the  same  time  adapt  themselves 
without  changing  one  essential  principle  to 
different  degrees  of  intelligence  and  to  peo- 
ple of  every  Nation,  kindred  and  tongue, 
teaching  everywhere  the  same  lessons — 
Brotherly  Love,  Belief  and  Truth. 


132  The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

The  only  possible  explanation  lies  in  the 
fact  that  human  nature  is  everywhere  and 
at  all  times  essentially  the  same,  and  that 
the  principles  under  consideration  are 
basic,  essential  and  universal.  They  con- 
stitute the  basis  of  ethics  and  are  calcu- 
lated to  insure  economic  Justice  and  the 
reign  of  Peace  and  Goodwill  among  men. 

There  ought  to  be  a  great  awakening 
among  Masons  at  the  present  time  as  to 
the  realization  of  what  Masonry  really 
means,  of  the  Great  Work  it  is  capable  of 
accomplishing,  and  of  the  great  opportu- 
nity offered  in  this  Twentieth  Century  for 
this  work  that  is  so  much  needed  and  for 
which  the  time  has  come. 

Many  persons,  both  in  and  outside  the 
Lodge,  are  prone  to  criticise  the  members 
of  the  Great  School  for  concealing  their 
very  existence,  just  as  outsiders  criticise 
and  condemn  Masonry  for  being  a  secret 
Order.  The  reasons  for  concealment  are 
the  same  in  each  case.  Any  good  man  and 
true  who  of  his  own  free  will  and  accord 
knocks  in  the  right  way  will  find  the  secrets 
of  Freemasonry  as  open  to  him  as  to  any 
other.  If  he  does  not  want  them  it  is  both 


Freemasonry  as  a  Great  School  133 

unjust  and  lacking  in  intelligence  for  him 
to  criticise  what  he  does  not  want  and 
really  knows  nothing  about,  or  to  criticise 
those  who  do  want  them  and  who  pro- 
nounce them  beneficent  and  helpful. 

It  is  difficult  to  see  how  these  critics  out- 
side the  Lodge  differ  in  any  essential  from 
those  Master  Masons  who  are  equally  skep- 
tical and  critical  regarding  the  Great 
School.  They  use  the  same  arguments 
based  on  the  same  superficial  view.  The 
Master  Mason  who  has  learned  the  lessons 
of  the  Lodge  and  half  apprehended  their 
value  and  significance  ought  to  knoiv  bet- 
ter. There  is  far  less  excuse  for  him  than 
for  the  critic  outside  the  Lodge.  At  every 
step  he  is  given  clues  that  point  to  nothing 
else,  unless  they  are  altogether  meaning- 
less. 

The  Legend  of  the  Keystone  "lost  in  the 
rubbish",  the  secret  vault,  the  substitute, 
and  its  relation  to  the  true  Word ;  the  seek- 
ing of  Light  continually !  Turn  where  you 
will,  the  whole  ritual  and  symbolism  read, 
"He  that  seeketh  shall  surely  find."  So 
plain  are  the  clues  everywhere  that  seem- 
ingly "a  man  though  a  fool  need  not  err 


134 The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

therein."  Every  deep  and  intelligent  stu- 
dent of  Masonry  in  all  time  has  realized 
that  there  must  have  been  superlative  wis- 
dom in  designing  the  whole  Institution  of 
Freemasonry,  and  deeper  meaning  than 
the  ritual  carries  upon  the  surface. 

Sir  Albert  Pike,  undoubtedly  the  most 
profound  student  and  writer  of  modern 
times  on  the  subject  of  Masonry,  devoted 
a  lifetime  to  his  researches.  He  studied 
Sanscrit  after  he  was  fifty  years  of  age,  in 
order  to  carry  his  studies  to  remotest 
times.  He  found  his  strongest  clues  among 
the  Persian  and  Hindoo  philosophers,  and 
the  Greater  Mysteries  and  Schools  of  An- 
tiquity. Guided  by  his  own  intuitions,  his 
love  of  Truth,  his  singleness  of  purpose, 
and  his  unflagging  determination,  he  made 
great  discoveries  and  left,  according  to  his 
desire,  his  noblest  monument  in  his  writ- 
ings and  work  for  the  Order.  But  with  all 
his  splendid  work,  there  is  nothing  with 
which  I  am  acquainted  to  show  that  he  ever 
met  a  member  of  the  Great  Parent  School, 
a  Master  of  the  Greater  Mysteries  from 
which  the  School  of  Masonry  sprung. 

This  at  first  sight  may  seem  discourag- 


Freemasonry  as  a  Great  School 135 

ing,  and  an  injustice.  The  real  reason  lies 
in  the  fact  that  the  time  was  not  yet  ripe 
for  the  work  in  the  Western  world,  and  no 
such  representative  with  all  the  necessary 
requirements  was  ready  to  take  up  the 
work. 

The  conditions  of  every  age  differ  essen- 
tially from  every  other.  While  the  essen- 
tials of  the  work  never  change,  more  than 
those  of  Masonry  itself,  it  has  to  be 
adapted  in  language  and  forms  of  thought 
to  the  times  and  people  among  which  it  is 
to  be  promulgated.  There  is,  moreover, 
the  "Law  of  Cycles",  and  the  saying  that 
— "There  is  a  tide  in  the  affairs  of  men, 
which,  taken  at  the  flood,  leads  on  to  for- 
tune", is  nowhere  more  true  and  applic- 
able than  in  the  case  under  consideration. 

Bigotry,  intolerance  and  superstition 
have  had  their  day  and  waned,  at  least 
with  a  large  number  of  intelligent  people. 
Phenomenal  Spiritualism  and  Hypnotism 
have  had  their  day  and  are  fast  waning. 
Out  of  all  the  turmoil,  the  fraud  and  the 
fanaticism,  has  come  the  conviction  that 
"there  are  more  things  in  heaven  and 
earth  than  were  dreamed  of  in  our  philoso- 


136 The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

phy".  The  ground  has  been  prepared  for 
rational  concepts,  and  there  is  the  dawning, 
at  least,  of  a  Science  of  Psychology.  A 
few,  at  least,  will  listen  without  prejudice, 
apprehend  without  fanaticism,  and  serve 
1  'without  the  hope  of  fee  or  reward".  The 
time  is  ripe,  the  necessity  is  here,  as  else- 
where pointed  out,  in  the  encroachments 
of  the  spirit  of  the  dark  ages  upon  all  our 
Free  Institutions. 

Nearly  a  quarter  of  a  century  ago  this 
opportunity  was  foreseen  and  provided 
for.  One  deemed  worthy  and  well  quali- 
fied, was  duly  and  truly  prepared  and  Ini- 
tiated into  the  Great  School  and  assigned 
to  the  work  of  the  present  age  in  America. 
For  years  he  tried  to  find  one  "listening 
ear",  and  failed.  Eeal  knowledge  of  the 
soul!  the  secret  of  death!  crossing  safely 
the  Great  Divide ! — preposterous ! 

But  with  the  advance  of  the  New  Age 
and  the  light  of  the  Twentieth  Century, 
one  came,  and  then  another,  till  several 
hundred  faithful  breasts  listened  to  the  in- 
structive tongue ;  and  today  the  rising  tide 
is  here  in  America,  where  is  to  be  fought 
out  the  great  battle  between  Light  and 


Freemasonry  as  a  Great  School  137 

Darkness,  between  the  ethics  of  the  "Man 
of  Sorrows",  and  those  of  Torquemada. 

None  are  so  near  this  Great  School  as 
Freemasons  if  they  choose  to  have  it  so. 
Holding  as  they  do  the  perfect  points  of 
entrance  to  the  Lesser  Mysteries,  they 
may  "pass"  by  right  of  proficiency  in  the 
preceding  "School  of  Masonry"  and 
knock  at  the  door  of  the  Great  School. 

That  such  a  School  should  exist,  gather 
and  preserve  the  wisdom  of  the  ages  and 
hold  and  transmit  it  to  the  present  time 
"without  the  hope  of  fee  or  reward",  but 
solely  for  the  benefit  of  man,  is  no  more  re- 
markable than  that  Masonry  should  exist, 
preserve,  protect  and  transmit  its  secret, 
unaltered,  century  after  century.  Indeed, 
all  our  knowledge  of  Freemasonry  renders 
the  existence  of  the  Great  School  a  prob- 
ability, if  not  a  foregone  conclusion. 

"Without  the  hope  of  fee  or  reward",  is 
a  saying  in  Masonry  only  partially  adhered 
to,  as  the  fees  for  entrance  and  dues,  par- 
ticularly in  some  of  the  higher  degrees,  are 
considerable. 

In  the  Great  School,  however,  this  rule 
of  "no  fees"  is  literal  and  absolute.  No 


138 The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

one  need  be  in  any  doubt  nor  make  the 
mistake  of  comparing  this  School  with  any 
that  teach  "Occultism"  or  anything  else 
"for  a  consideration."  All  possible  mo- 
tive for  deception  or  exploitation  is  thus 
eliminated. 

When  we  remember,  as  stated  by  Bro. 
Albert  Pike,  that,  at  one  time  or  another 
more  than  six  hundred  "degrees"  have 
been  introduced  into  Masonry  as  "Ma- 
sonic", it  seems  remarkable  that  the  Blue 
Lodge  remains  uncontaminated,  and  that 
the  Scottish  Eite  is  so  consistent  and  har- 
monious with  it.  Under  these  conditions 
the  future  of  Freemasonry  in  this  country 
seems  very  promising  indeed. 

With  Popery  on  the  wane  in  Europe  and 
the  hold  of  the  "Little  Father"  well  shaken 
in  Russia,  the  day  for  which  Freemasonry 
has  so  long  waited  seems  now  dawning.  Its 
mission  as  a  Great  School  in  Ethics  and 
Fraternity  will  be  that  of  a  Light  Bearer, 
an  Ideal  Republic  that  shall  be  to  this  great 
Nation  at  once  an  object  lesson,  an  inspira- 
tion and  an  ideal. 

This  Great  School  is  the  servant  but 
never  the  master  of  the  Eepublic.  Asking 


Freemasonry  as  a  Great  School  139 

nothing  for  itself  except  the  honor  of  serv- 
ing, it  seeks  no  aggrandizement,  no  other 
recognition,  no  higher  honor. 

There  are  over  two  million  of  Freema- 
sons in  this  Great  Kepnblic  who  will  say 
to  the  foregoing — ' '  Amen !  So  mote  it  be. ' ' 


' '  Politico  -  Ecclesiastical  Roman- 
ism continues  to  be  in  this,  and  in 
all  lands,  an  organized  conspiracy 
against  the  liberties  of  mankind." — 
King. 


THE  ORIGIN  OF  FREEMASONRY  AS 

A  SCHOOL  OF  PROGRESSIVE 

MORAL  SCIENCE. 


Various  Masonic  writers  have  endeav- 
ored to  trace  the  history  of  Masonry  be- 
yond such  records,  charters  and  constitu- 
tions as  have  been  accepted  and  verified, 
with  little  more  than  conjecture  for  evi- 
dence. To  discern  the  origin  of  the  present 
Institution  as  a  growth  from  the  guilds  or 
trades-unions  existing  prior  to  1700  A.  D., 
is  justified  by  neither  fact  nor  reason.  No 
such  germ  could  develop  into  such  flower 
and  fruitage.  None  of  these  guilds  can  be 
shown  to  have  possessed  any  such  philoso- 
phy. That  they  were  secret,  co-operative 
and  fraternal,  is  true,  and  that  was  their 
aim  and  object.  They  aimed  at  protection, 
and  secured  exclusive  privileges  then  as 
now. 

It  is  a  common  saying  that  "a  stream 

141 


142  The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

cannot  rise  higher  than  its  source."  The 
change  from  1 1  practical "  to  *  *  speculative ' ' 
Masonry,  as  is  claimed  or  recognized  by 
those  who  trace  its  origin  to  these  guilds, 
is  left  entirely  unexplained.  It  is  without 
a  " sufficient  reason."  Masonry  is  what 
they  were  not,  viz.,  a  Great  School  of  In- 
struction, not  in  handicrafts,  but  in  the 
science  and  philosophy  of  individual  life. 

The  guilds  appealed  to  self-interest,  and 
promised  protection  and  special  privilege. 
Masonry  teaches  its  postulants  to  surren- 
der self-interest  and  to  aspire  to  that 
knowledge  that  promises  no  exclusive  priv- 
ileges, but  stands  for  general  enlighten- 
ment and  beneficent  service  "without  the 
hope  of  fee  or  reward, ' '  thus  annulling  the 
very  genius,  origin  and  purpose  of  the 
guild.  While  Masonry  is  speculative  versus 
the  practical  character  of  the  guild,  its  very 
speculations  have  a  universal  bearing  and 
character  that  are  practical  in  a  more  spe- 
cific and  wider  sense.  Masonry  is  a  Prog- 
ressive Moral  Science. 

Instead  of  comparing  Masonry  with  pre- 
existing co-operative  bodies,  where  the 
members  sought  exclusive  privileges,  pro- 


As  a  School  of  Moral  Science 143 

tection  and  personal  advantages,  it  should 
be  compared  with  pre-existing  bodies  that 
aimed  at  higher  education  of  the  individ- 
ual, instilling  a  broad  philosophy  of  life 
and  an  exact  and  scientific  knowledge  of  the 
spiritual  nature  of  man,  first  setting  him 
free  from  ignorance,  superstition  and  fear, 
and  fitting  him  as  a  " living  stone"  in  the 
Temple  of  Humanity,  a  Master  Workman 
in  the  regeneration  and  elevation  of  the 
whole  human  race.  If  this  be  not  true,  then 
how  are  we  to  explain  the  " seven  steps" 
as  applied  to  the  liberal  sciences,  and  the 
references  to  Plato,  Pythagoras,  Zoroaster, 
Confucius  and  others,  in  certain  degrees? 
By  "Speculative"  Masonry  reference  is 
strictly  made  to  Philosophy,  Science,  Eth- 
ics and  Economics,  and  not  to  politics, 
state-craft  and  hand-craft. 

If  the  reader  will  turn  to  the  quotation 
on  another  page,  he  will  find  the  statement 
that ' '  From  the  dawn  of  civilization  to  the 
present  moment"  two  factors,  two  great 
underlying  principles,  have  been  at  work. 
At  every  stage  of  civilization  these  con- 
trasted and  wholly  opposite  principles  have 
been  discerned  by  the  advanced  intelli- 


144 The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

gences  of  that  time,  more  or  less  clearly 
commented  upon  and  acted  upon,  and  the 
advocates  of  these  opposing  principles 
have  found  themselves  more  or  less  hos- 
tilely  arrayed  against  each  other. 

The  advocates  of  Power  and  Privilege  as 
against  the  rights  of  the  individual,  wheth- 
er Priest  or  Potentate,  always  jealous  of 
his  own  interests  and  of  his  wiser  and  more 
humane  rival  and  utterly  unable  to  pervert 
or  turn  him  from  his  work  for  humanity, 
has  used  every  power  known  to  tyranny, 
injustice,  and  oppression  to  restrain  or  to 
destroy  him.  This  policy  has  led  in  all 
time  to  the  concealment  of  the  more  ad- 
vanced knowledge  and  its  promulgation 
under  the  necessity  and  the  seal  of  secrecy. 
The  higher  teachings  of  Jesus  formed  no 
exception  to  this  rule.  He  "taught  his  dis- 
ciples apart,"  "the  mysteries  of  the  king- 
dom of  heaven,"  and  charged  them  on 
more  than  one  occasion  that  they  "tell  no 
man. '  ' 

Sir  Albert  Pike  has  shown  in  his  ' '  Mor- 
als and  Dogma,"  by  abundant  quotations 
from  the  Church  Fathers,  that  for  the  first 
three  or  four  centuries  after  Christ  the 


As  a  School  of  Moral  Science 145 

Christian  sect  practiced  initiation,  had 
three  degrees,  the  members  of  the  lower 
degrees  having  no  direct  share  in  the 
knowledge,  rights,  or  ceremonies  of  the 
higher,  while  the  non-Christian  was  ex- 
cluded from  all. 

It  is  more  than  likely  that  the  term 
"Mason,"  meaning  builder,  was  used  to 
create  a  semblance  to  the  guild,  outwardly, 
and  so  to  disguise  the  real  purpose  of  the 
teaching  of  the  Lodge.  But  there  came  a 
time  when  they  were  interdicted  altogeth- 
er. This  increased  the  secrecy  and  the  pre- 
cautions of  the  members  and  of  their  as- 
semblies without  preventing  or  destroying 
them.  In  Kussia  today,  in  spite  of  the 
Czar  and  the  most  bigoted  and  tyrannical 
Greek  Church,  secret  societies  fairly  hon- 
eycomb society  and  their  members  are 
found  among  the  body  guard  and  house 
servants  of  the  Czar. 

That  the  idea  and  the  necessity  of  secret 
organizations,  where  alone  any  semblance 
of  individual  liberty,  difference  of  opinion, 
or  free  speech  would  be  tolerated,  or  es- 
cape punishment,  should  be  taken  advan- 
tage of  by  plotters  against  governments, 


140 The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

or  even  by  societies  of  assassins,  is  perfect- 
ly natural.  From  the  very  beginning  of 
this  struggle  priest  and  potentate  have 
equally  concealed  their  designs  and  plotted 
in  secret.  The  Pope  and  his  minions  to- 
day launch  their  maledictions  and  bitterest 
denunciations  against  secret  societies,  mak- 
ing this  their  first  count  against  Masonry ; 
and  yet,  there  is  not  on  earth  today  an  Or- 
der so  secret,  plotting  and  dangerous  to 
the  liberties  of  man,  as  the  Order  of  Jesuits 
and  the  Roman  Heirarchy. 

So  notorious  are  all  these  things  that 
there  are  in  every  community  today  many 
good  people  who  are  "down  on  secret  or- 
ganizations of  all  kinds."  They  "see  no 
need  of  them,"  no  reason  why  any  good 
thing  should  be  concealed,  and  so  connect 
secrecy  with  plotting  and  wickedness.  If 
people  would  withhold  judgment  concern- 
ing beliefs  with  which  they  are  entirely 
unfamiliar  and  principles  concerning  which 
they  ought  to  know  that  they  really  know 
nothing,  then  the  necessity  for  secrecy  in 
these  matters  would  be  at  least  greatly 
lessened. 

But  there  is  still  another  reason   why 


As  a  School  of  Moral  Science 147 

great  truths  with  good  men  are  held  secret, 
and  that  is,  the  impossibility  of  revealing 
them  to  the  incompetent  and  the  unpre- 
pared. The  ''degrees"  in  Masonry  and 
the  ancient  Mysteries  were  a  necessity  on 
the  part  of  the  candidate.  Proficiency  in 
the  preceding  degree  was  and  is  an  organic 
necessity  for  further  progress  and  more 
light.  There  is  both  a  natural  and  an  or- 
derly sequence  in  the  acquirement  of  any 
real  knowledge.  This  is  recognized  in  the 
arts  and  sciences  everywhere.  A  student 
in  the  common  school  who  is  allowed  to 
pass  to  a  higher  grade  before  thoroughly 
mastering  the  lower,  is  sure  to  fail  in  the 
higher.  His  trial  will  come  and  he  will  be 
found  wanting. 

The  students  in  the  higher  knowledge 
and  more  exact  sciences  become  fewer  and 
fewer  as  advancement  is  made  till  only  the 
few  stand  upon  the  heights,  speak  a  com- 
mon language,  and  from  their  vantage 
ground  face  the  beyond.  Each  of  these,  in 
all  departments  of  knowledge  and  in  all 
time,  has  been  quick  to  recognize  his  peer. 

Thus  there  has  arisen  the  language  of 
symbols,  test  words,  generic  ideas,  that 


148 The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

only  the  proficient  or  the  "Initiated"  can 
understand.  The  aim  of  these  real  stu- 
dents is  not  * '  to  keep  others  in  ignorance. ' ' 
Jndeed,  they  are  delighted  to  find  any 
young  person  of  promise  interested  and 
capable  of  acquiring  knowledge. 

These  principles  that  apply  to  the  ac- 
quirement of  knowledge  in  all  departments 
are  more  especially  applicable  in  the  deeper 
and  higher  knowledge  of  the  soul.  Time, 
opportunity,  seclusion,  steadfastness  and 
determination  in  all  ages  have  been  deemed 
requisite  for  the  acquirement  of  knowledge 
on  the  higher  planes. ' '  To  Learn,  to  Know, 
to  Dare,  to  Do,  and  to  Keep  Silent,"  has 
been  the  watchword  in  all  time.  It  must  be 
sought,  and  sought  persistently  and  in  the 
right  way.  It  means  and  has  always  meant 
a  personal  experience,  not  merely  "a  tale 
that  is  told." 

Furthermore,  an  increased  personal  re- 
sponsibility goes  with  such  knowledge.  The 
more  knowledge  a  man  has  the  greater  his 
power  over  and  among  his  fellowmen.  The 
more  intellectual  strength  and  knowledge 
an  individual  possesses,  if  he  is  by  nature 
selfish  and  vicious  and  unjust,  the  more  in- 


As  a  School  of  Moral  Science 149 

jury  he  is  capable  of  doing  to  his  fellows. 
Perhaps  no  good  and  wise  man  would  take 
pains  or  go  out  of  his  way  to  keep  such  a 
person  in  ignorance,  but  certainly  he  would 
not  take  pains  to  increase  his  knowledge 
unless  assured  beyond  all  doubt  that  the 
deepening  of  the  sense  of  personal  respon- 
sibility and  cultivation  of  the  moral  sense 
went  with  every  advance  in  knowledge. 

Hence,  to  the  "personal  experience"  is 
added  the  living  of  a  life  in  conformity 
with  the  best  interests  of  society. 

The  chemist  who  pursued  his  studies  in 
order  to  discover  some  new  explosive,  that 
he  might  terrorize  the  world  and  hold  men 
in  subjection  through  fear,  would  be  pun- 
ished for  his  crimes  rather  than  lauded  for 
his  skill  and  knowledge.  In  other  words, 
Knowledge  is  Power,  and  both  knowledge 
and  power  measure  and  determine  Person- 
al Responsibility  under  natural,  human  and 
Divine  Law. 

Nothing  can  be  more  shallow  and  incon- 
siderate than  the  cry  often  heard  in  all 
time,  and  today — "If  he  has  such  knowl- 
edge and  it  is  so  valuable,  why  does  he  not 
shout  it  from  the  housetops  and  give  it  to 


150 The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

the  world?"  One  need  only  point  for  an- 
swer to  Jesus,  Socrates,  Bruno  and  Savan- 
arola,  and  almost  every  other  name  in  the 
history  of  men  who  knew  the  truth  and 
dared  to  attempt  the  enlightenment  of 
mankind. 

Masonry  and  Masons  form  no  exception 
at  this  point.  The  selection  after  due  trial, 
the  preparation  of  the  candidate  and  prog- 
ress through  proficiency  in  the  preceding 
degree,  is  ever  an  essential,  no  less  for  the 
real  enlightenment  of  the  candidate  than 
for  the  preservation  of  the  knowledge  un- 
altered and  the  protection  of  the  Lodge. 

He  who  apprehends  the  real  Genius  of 
Freemasonry,  and  who  has  understood  and 
applied  the  lessons  of  the  Lodge,  will  find 
no  difficulty  in  discerning  the  same  signs, 
principles  and  usages  throughout  the  past. 
' '  By  their  works  ye  shall  know  them. ' '  By 
the  promises  and  inducements  held  out 
may  they,  one  and  all,  be  measured.  They 
all  fall  naturally  and  inevitably  into  one  of 
the  two  classes  hereinbefore  referred  to. 
They  all  appeal  either  to  the  selfish  or  the 
altruistic  element  in  man.  They  all  aim 
to  hold  man  in  bondage  and  exploit  him, 


As  a  School  of  Moral  Science 151 

or  to  enlighten  and  set  him  free.  They 
claimed  special  gifts  or  advantages,  held 
and  bestowed  for  a  consideration,  or  they 
held  out  no  other  inducement  except  knowl- 
edge and  opportunity  for  the  better  service 
of  mankind. 

No  intelligent  Mason  will  have  a  mo- 
ment's doubt  when  comparing  Masonry 
with  any  of  these.  The  disciples  of  Plato, 
Pythagoras,  Zoroaster,  Confucius,  Laotse 
and  Jesus  practiced  the  Golden  Kule,  and 
their  traditions,  landmarks  and  usages 
long  ago  were  affiliated  with  Masonry. 
They  are  Masonic  by  adoption,  though  Ma- 
sonry is  not  the  lineal  descendant  of  any 
of  them. 

But  when  it  is  once  clearly  understood 
that  in  every  generation  good  men  and  true 
have  discerned  these  basic  principles, 
placed  themselves  on  the  side  of  equity  and 
fraternity  and  sought  to  inculcate  them 
among  their  fellowmen,  we  shall  find  them 
referring  to  the  same  principles  and  prac- 
tically engaged  in  the  same  Great  Work; 
and  whether  we  name  them  Platonists, 
Pythagorians  or  Zoroastrians,  all  Masons 
will  hail  them  as  Brothers. 


152  The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

Moreover,  if  we  study  the  writings  or 
character  of  the  founders  of  any  of  these 
Orders  or  Societies,  we  find  them  talking 
of  the  same  things  and  adhering  essentially 
to  the  same  doctrines.  To  discover,  exem- 
plify, preserve,  and  transmit  to  posterity, 
seems  to  have  been  their  steadfast  aim. 
The  central  character  in  Masonry  seems 
purposely  made  a  mythical  representative 
of  these  ancient  sages.  The  Widow's  Son 
stands  facing  the  Ruffians  throughout  all 
time.  On  the  one  hand  stands  the  man, 
loyal  and  true,  who  would  lay  down  his  life 
in  defense  of  the  truth  and  of  his  own  in- 
tegrity. On  the  other  are  the  Ruffians  who 
make  their  demands  out  of  time  and  in  de- 
fiance of  all  justice  and  right.  Both  come 
to  their  own  reward  measured  by  exact 
Justice. 

It  justly  may  be  doubted  if  these  great 
truths  were  ever  anywhere  else  more  clear- 
ly portrayed  and  dramatically  represented 
tlian  in  the  ritual  of  the  Lodge.  Nor  can 
any  intelligent  witness  or  listener  fail  to 
see  the  application.  It  is  to  every  candi- 
date, indeed,  an  Initiation,  a  lesson,  an  in- 
struction, a  personal  experience.  He  never 


As  a  School  of  Moral  Science 153 

can  forget  it  when  it  has  first  made  en- 
trance in  his  heart,  and  he  never  can  be 
quite  the  same  man  afterward  if  he  be  real- 
ly sincere.  He  does  not  witness  a  play.  He 
represents  a  principle  and  enacts  a  char- 
acter. He  becomes,  for  the  time,  quite  an- 
other personality.  He  does  not  "imagine 
himself  in  another's  place."  He  is  like  a 
soldier  whose  leader  has  fallen  in  battle 
and  who  seizes  the  flag  and  springing  to  the 
head  of  the  column  carries  it  unflinchingly 
to  victory  or  to  death.  Every  Brother 
Mason  will  claim  to  have  been  Initiated  in 
the  Lodge.  It  is  my  purpose  to  show  what 
real  initiation  is.  It  is  not  a  ceremony  per- 
formed altogether  by  others,  but  a  person- 
al experience  altogether  new  and  never 
quite  forgotten. 

Such  has  real  initiation  been  everywhere 
and  in  all  ages.  The  whole  life  of  man  on 
earth  is  an  initiation;  that  is,  a  series  of 
personal  experiences.  In  no  other  way  does 
he  really  learn  anything.  A  personal  ex- 
perience brings  more  or  less  into  action  the 
capacities,  faculties  and  powers  of  the  indi- 
vidual. He  feels,  senses,  perceives,  thinks, 
reasons,  acts,  learns,  knows.  This  is  a  per- 


154 The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

sonal  experience.  It  is  the  real  Genius  of 
Freemasonry  to  reveal  this  process,  apply 
this  means,  and  gain  this  result — a  person- 
al experience. 

The  " block  of  knowledge"  selected  for 
this  purpose  and  revealed  in  this  way  do 
the  candidate  for  initiation  is  not  only  the 
sum  and  substance  of  the  wisdom  of  the 
ages,  but  it  is  selected  with  such  care,  con- 
densed in  such  concise  form,  and  imparted 
in  such  a  way  as  to  bring  to  a  focus  all  past 
experience  of  the  candidate  and  place  in 
his  hand  and  heart,  not  only  the  elements 
and  facilities  of  all  future  growth,  but  at 
the  same  time  make  clear  his  pathway  and 
light  his  progress  for  all  future  time. 
Among  the  *  *  Jewels  of  the  Lodge, ' '  this  is 
the  Crown  Jewel. 

Condense  the  meaning  and  application 
of  the  three  greater  and  the  three  lesser 
Lights  of  the  Lodge  and  see  if  they  do  not 
mean  exactly  this,  no  more,  no  less.  As 
outer  symbols  these  lights  may  be  and 
sometimes  are  flippantly  passed  by.  But 
as  illuminations  in  the  intelligent  and  con- 
scientious soul  of  man,  incorporated  there 


As  a  School  of  Moral  Science 155 

as  a  personal  experience,  they  are  a  differ- 
ent thing  altogether. 

On  entering  the  Lodge  the  candidate  is 
divested  of  all  superfluities.  He  is  not  only 
poor  indeed,  but  he  bears  the  badge  of  the 
most  abject  slavery.  Moreover,  he  is  help- 
less, needing  a  guide  to  direct  his  course. 
Eventually  he  is  brought  to  light  and 
clothed  with  honor. 

From  what  is  he  really  set  free?  From 
all  the  trammels  of  ignorance,  superstition 
and  fear  of  his  former  life  and  from  their 
bondage  in  the  outer  world  whence  he  came. 
Henceforth  he  is  to  be  a  Man,  a  Freema- 
son. If  he  is  already  that  in  his  heart,  and 
he  realizes  and  henceforth  utilizes  his  per- 
sonal experience  in  Initiation,  he  is  for- 
ever free  from  the  enslaving  and  corrupt- 
ing influence  of  that  other  power  which 
would  keep  him  in  ignorance,  play  upon  his 
superstitions  and  control  him  by  fear. 

Through  a  personal  experience  he  has 
entered  a  new  world,  recognized  his  own 
powers  and  responsibilities,  taken  his  des- 
tiny as  a  Free  Man  into  his  own  hands  and 
begun  a  new  life.  He  not  only  stands  up- 
right, facing  the  East,  but  he  is  prepared 


156  The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

to  face  the  world  with  uprightness  guided 
by  intelligence  and  imbued  with  Fraternal 
Kindness  and  Love. 

Now,  whence  came  such  a  body  of  knowl- 
edge, clearly  conceived,  concisely  organ- 
ized, intelligently  and  successfully  im- 
parted to  the  candidate  during  a  personal 
experience  in  Initiation,  and  undergoing 
no  essential  change  for  at  least  two  hun- 
dred years'?  Like  Minerva  springing  full- 
formed  from  the  brain  of  Jupiter,  this  wis- 
dom in  all  its  essentials  was  planted  in 
Freemasonry  about  two  hundred  years 
ago. 

It  had  a  beginning  in  and  for  the  West- 
ern World,  and  must  have  had  an  author, 
conceiver,  transmitter.  It  is  not  a  growth 
nor  an  evolution  in  the  Order  of  Freema- 
sonry itself,  like  modern  chemistry,  phys- 
ics, or  any  of  the  arts  and  sciences  in  the 
outer  world.  Hiram,  the  Widow's  Son,  the 
Ruffians  and  the  essential  elements  of  the 
tragic-drama  were  as  familiar  to  the  Ma- 
son of  1717  A.  D.,  as  to  us  of  1907. 

Whether  Bacon  or  Shakespeare  wrote 
those  immortal  plays,  some  one  who  had 
the  necessary  intelligence  wrote  them.  Cer- 


As  a  School  of  Moral  Science 157 

tainly  the  carpenters,  stone  masons  and 
architects  of  two  hundred  years  ago  were 
far  less  intelligent  or  well  educated  than 
their  representatives  today.  We  can  come 
to  but  one  logical  conclusion :  The  Genius 
of  Freemasonry,  the  personal  experience 
through  Initiation,  was  devised  and  insti- 
tuted by  some  Initiate  who  "had  gone  that 
way  before."  He  transmitted  to  us  only 
that  which  he  himself  had  received,  and 
only  in  the  way  he  had  received  it,  and  not 
unto  others,  except  after  trial  they  were 
found  worthy  to  receive  it. 

Every  real  Initiate  preserves  the  tra- 
ditions and  the  landmarks,  obeys  the  Laws, 
conforms  to  the  usages,  and  protects  the 
Sacred  Word  and  the  Secret  Vault  through 
all  time.  He  can  impart  the  royal  secret 
only  in  one  way.  If  he  tries  some  other 
way  he  not  only  fails,  injures  the  candi- 
date, or  him  "who  would  climb  up  some 
other  way,"  but  proves  himself  unworthy 
and  in  time  loses  the  secret  himself. 

Those  who  are  interested  in  pursuing 
this  subject  further  are  referred  to  Chap- 
ter IV  of  "The  Great  Work,"  written  by 
a  Brother  Mason. 


158 The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

The  opinion  is  often  expressed  by  hun- 
dreds of  the  most  intelligent  Freemasons 
to-day,  that  there  is  a  very  deep  signifi- 
cance in  the  philosophy,  symbolism  and 
principles  of  Freemasonry,  and  that  this 
deeper  knowledge  generally  goes  unrecog- 
nized and  disregarded.  This  is  really  a 
deep  intuition,  a  direct  recognition  by  the 
individual  intelligence.  If  asked  to  define 
these  deeper  truths,  or  even  to  prove  their 
existence,  they  may  be  unable  to  do  so,  but 
their  deep  convictions  remain  nevertheless 
unchanged. 

This  intuitive  knowledge  is  the  kinship 
of  the  soul  with  truth,  a  guiding  light  to 
all  who  regard  it.  Intuition  may  not  for- 
mulate theorems  in  mathematics,  but  it 
throws  a  light  on  life's  numberless  equa- 
tions and  leads  the  mind  in  the  search  of 
truth. 

Emerson  quotes  Swedenborg  as  saying : 
"It  is  no  proof  of  a  man's  understanding 
to  be  able  to  confirm  whatever  he  pleases ; 
but  to  be  able  to  discern  that  what  is  true, 
is  true ;  and  that  what  is  false,  is  false ;  this 
is  the  mark  and  character  of  intelligence. ' ' 

Careful  attention,  observation  and  re- 


As  a  School  of  Moral  Science 159 

flection  regarding  the  Work  of  the  Lodge, 
the  dramatic  realization  of  the  personal 
experience  of  every  candidate  initiated  in 
the  three  degrees  of  the  Blue  Lodge,  ought 
to  enable  every  really  intelligent  and 
thoughtful  person  to  realize  that  here  is  an 
epitome  of  the  essentials  that  go  to  make 
up  individual  character,  define  personal  re- 
sponsibility and  stand  as  a  guiding  light  to 
all  future  progress. 

I  am  not  trying  to  read  into  Freemason- 
ry a  meaning  fantastic,  mystical,  or  trans- 
cendental. I  am  urging  the  desirability, 
the  utility  and  the  necessity  that  every  Ma- 
sonic Brother  shall  realize  his  own  posses- 
sions, simply  that  he  may  appreciate  and 
utilize  them. 

Whence  these  treasures  of  wisdom  and 
beneficence  came  he  may  never  know,  nor 
need  he  care.  What  they  are,  how  they  may 
be  utilized,  and  what  duties  and  responsi- 
bilities they  define  and  determine,  are  other 
questions  entirely.  These  are  questions  of 
individual  intelligence  and  sincerity  alone, 
not  above  the  capacities  and  powers  of  any 
just  and  upright  Mason,  and  it  is  to  such 
only  that  this  appeal  is  made. 


160 The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

The  historical  controversy  is  of  little  im- 
portance. That  the  deep  philosophy  and 
the  profound  epitome  of  wisdom  could  not 
possibly  emanate  from  those  who  showed 
no  sign  whatever  of  possessing  it,  like  the 
guilds  and  trades-unions  of  two  hundred 
years  ago,  ought  to  be  self-evident.  That  it 
all  came  from  another  source,  viz.,  from 
those  who  did,  and  who  do  show  abundant 
signs  of  possessing  it,  has  a  still  deeper 
significance. 

Equally  important  with  the  clear  recog- 
nition of  what  Masonry  is  and  what  are  its 
lines  of  descent,  is  the  clear  recognition  of 
what  that  other  organization  is  that  is  ev- 
erything which  Masonry  is  not,  and  that 
hates,  persecutes,  curses  and  seeks  in  every 
way  to  destroy  Masons  and  Masonry 
throughout  the  ages. 

The  gauntlet  hurled  at  Masonry  by  the 
Roman  Catholic  Heirarchy  (which  has  not 
a  single  feature  in  common  with  the  relig- 
ion of  Jesus),  has  been  too  long  ignored 
and  treated  with  either  indifference  or 
silent  contempt.  It  should  be  recognized 
and  clearly  defined.  Each  body  should 
stand  on  its  own  principles  before  the 


As  a  School  of  Moral  Science 161 

world,  and  let  an  intelligent  public  opinion 
and  the  progress  of  civilization  decide  be- 
tween them.  If  Masonry  is  not  in  line  with 
these,  the  sooner  that  fact  is  recognized 
and  Masonry  relegated  to  desuetude  and 
oblivion,  the  better  for  all  concerned.  It 
is  a  purely  human  Institution,  the  ripe 
fruit  of  endless  generations  of  wise  and 
noble  men  seeking  solely  to  serve  mankind. 

Masonry  is  not  the  enemy  of  religion,  but 
it  is  the  avowed,  relentless,  and  eternal  en- 
emy of  the  methods  and  preposterous 
claims  of  Clericalism,  just  as  Clericalism  is 
the  enemy  of  all  true  religion. 

That  the  arrogant  claims  of  Clericalism 
should  be  tolerated  anywhere  or  by  any 
one  in  the  light  of  the  Twentieth  Century, 
is  the  most  amazing  fact  that  can  anywhere 
be  found.  Any  one  realizing  what  is  im- 
plied in  thus  perpetuating  the  grossest 
superstitions  of  the  dark  ages,  would  sup- 
pose that  the  Genius  of  the  present  age 
would  laugh  it  to  scorn.  But  when  one  also 
realizes  that  it  counts  on  ignorance,  relies 
solely  upon  superstition  and  fear,  holds  in 
ignorance  its  trusting  disciples  and  claims 


162 The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

for  itself  the  prerogative  of  God,  the  won- 
der ceases. 

The  Light  of  the  Twentieth  Century  has 
not  yet  penetrated  the  ignorance  of  the 
masses.  They  are  held  in  bondage  by  eco- 
nomic conditions  that  they  have  thus  far 
been  unable  to  overcome,  and  they  are  ex- 
ploited now,  as  in  all  the  past,  by  those  who 
are  cunning  as  serpents  but  by  no  means 
as  harmless  as  doves. 

This  exploitation  is  world-wide  and 
world-long.  It  seems  to  be  the  price  paid 
for  Enlightenment  and  Liberty.  The  most 
horrible  sarcasm  lies  in  the  fact  that  it  is 
all  done  in  the  name  of  the  Man  of  Sor- 
rows, and  thus  belies  his  whole  nature  and 
his  mission  among  men.  Those  who  cruci- 
fied him  were  angels  of  light  when  com- 
pared with  those  who  crucify  him  daily, 
century  after  century. 

Jesus  regarded  the  doctrines  he  taught 
as  greater  than  himself  and  dearer  than  his 
own  life.  Hence  he  died  to  give  them  life. 
The  Jew  has  been  cursed,  hated  and  perse- 
cuted for  nearly  two  thousand  years  as  the 
crucifier  of  Jesus,  but  those  who  have 
sophisticated  his  doctrines  and  so  misia- 


As  a  School  of  Moral  Science  163 

terpreted  his  whole  mission,  are  far  more 
guilty. 

Politico-Clericalism  perverts  all  the 
teachings  of  Jesus.  By  its  record  and  its 
doctrines  it  represents  their  complete  an- 
tithesis. On  the  contrary,  Freemasonry 
stands  for,  advocates  and  does  its  best  to 
practice  all  that  Jesus  taught. 

The  sign  of  Truth  is  that  it  agrees  with 
itself  and  is  consistent  from  beginning  to 
end.  Error  is  self-contradictory  and  con- 
tradicts Truth. 

Freemasonry  is  a  progressive  School  of 
Moral  Science,  and  is  perfectly  consistent 
from  beginning  to  end  with  the  Sermon  on 
the  Mount  and  all  that  Jesus  taught.  It 
teaches  that  right  conduct  and  economic 
Justice  are  the  foundation  and  preparation 
for  the  religion  of  Jesus,  which  Clericalism 
has  delayed  and  defeated,  to  the  extent  of 
its  power,  for  centuries. 

In  the  crusade  which  Clericalism  has  in- 
augurated for  the  conquest  of  America, 
these  same  issues  again  are  to  be  fought 
out.  Freemasonry  is  squarely  aligned  with 
Freedom,  Justice,  Equity  and  Eight;  and 
it  claims  fellowship  with  all  the  heroes  and 


164  The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

martyrs  who  throughout  the  ages  have 
fought  the  same  great  battle  against  dark- 
ness and  despotism,  cruelty  and  fear,  in 
their  effort  to  enslave  mankind. 


FREEMASONRY  AS  A  GREAT  WORK. 


Not  only  have  the  essentials  in  Freema- 
sonry remained  practically  the  same  for 
over  two  hundred  years,  but  almost  every 
feature  and  principle  of  the  Order  can  be 
traced  to  the  remote  past.  Masonry  seems 
to  have  adopted  and  adapted  many  things 
from  pre-existing  Orders  or  Societies.  Its 
roots  reach  out  in  many  directions  and  it 
draws  sap  or  sustenance  from  many 
sources.  All  of  these  elements  are  united 
in  Masonry  in  a  definite  way,  and  in  a  con- 
crete form. 

Analogies  may,  therefore,  be  traced  in 
many  places,  and  yet  Masonry  is  not  the 
direct  successor  of  any  one  known  or  recog- 
nized society.  When,  however,  we  trace 
these  analogies,  a  flood  of  light  is  thrown 
on  Masonry  itself.  This  is  particularly 
true  in  regard  to  Masonic  symbolism.  Here 
one  very  important  consideration  must  be 

165 


166  The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

kept  constantly  in  mind.  The  symbol  is 
only  a  sign.  Its  interpretation  is  not  al- 
ways clear,  and  the  mistake  is  often  made 
of  taking  the  symbol  for  the  thing  symbol- 
ized. 

Take,  for  example,  "X"  as  representing 
an  " unknown  quantity."  If,  in  the  solu- 
tion of  our  equation,  we  find  the  value  of 
"X"  to  be,  say,  345,  we  must  not  make  the 
mistake  of  fixing  that  number  as  the  per- 
manent value  of  X.  In  the  very  next  equa- 
tion its  value  may  be  something  else  entire- 
ly. X  may,  however,  remain  as  a  "sym- 
bol" of  an  unknown  quantity,  while  its  use 
and  changing  value  may  be  almost  infinite. 

The  overlooking  of  this  feature  of  sym- 
bolism not  only  has  prevented  many  from 
finding  the  truth,  but  also  has  resulted  in 
the  most  fantastic  and  worthless  interpre- 
tations of  the  use  made  of  symbols  in  many 
cases.  Even  beyond  all  this  it  is  not  at  all 
clear  in  many  cases  that  those  who  used 
a  given  symbol  had  any  rational  concept  of 
its  meaning.  They  simply  copied  the  im- 
age or  picture,  and  we  must  be  careful  not 
to  read  into  it,  for  them,  a  meaning  they 
never  imagined. 


Freemasonry  as  a  Great  Work 167 

Such  a  symbol,  no  doubt,  is  the  Swastika, 
found  among  almost  every  people  in  all 
time. 

Beyond  pictures  or  images  used  as  sym- 
bols, there  are  words,  phrases,  and  forms 
of  expression.  Every  language  and  peo- 
ple has  its  idioms;  every  trade,  profession 
and  department  of  science  its  symbol  or  its 
slogan. 

One  of  the  most  impressive  word-sym- 
bols, running  far  back  into  antiquity,  is  the 
term  "Magnum  Opus/'  the  "Great  La- 
bour," or  the  "Great  Work."  Even  in 
ordinary  life  to-day  the  word  work  has  a 
very  wide  and  various  meaning.  It  refers 
to  accomplishment  or  the  means  by  which 
anything  is  accomplished.  We  speak  of 
the  "Works"  of  Shakespeare  or  Dickens. 
We  speak  of  a  student  in  Chemistry,  Art 
or  Music,  as  "doing  splendid  work,"  of  a 
man  breaking  stone  on  the  street  as  "do- 
ing hard  work,"  etc.,  etc. 

Now,  the  use  of  the  word  "Work"  in 
Masonry  has  a  still  broader  and  more  defi- 
nite meaning.  It  is  a  symbol  back  of  which 
is  a  design,  involved  with  which  is  a  specific 
method ;  all  aiming  at  a  definite  result.  Of 


168 The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

course,  design,  method  and  results  are  con- 
sidered in  all ' '  good  work. '  ' 

"Work"  in  Masonry  is  constructive  in  a 
very  large  and  broad  sense.  It  is  symbol  - 
ized  or  epitomized  by  the  building  of  a  tem- 
ple. The  Temple  is  peculiar.  While  its 
construction  requires  workmen  of  several 
degrees  and  tools  of  many  kinds,  still  it 
not  only  is  put  together  "  without  the  sound 
of  axe  or  hammer",  but  the  likeness  of  the 
temple  built  to  that  "other  spiritual  tem- 
ple eternal  in  the  heavens"  is  kept  con- 
stantly in  mind.  Both  the  earthly  physical 
temple  and  the  ideal  heavenly  temple  sup- 
plement and  are  a  continual  play  upon  each 
other.  From  first  to  last  the  Work  is  that 
of  building,  or  of  a  builder.  The  Temple 
built  is  made  real,  by  analogies  at  every 
step,  with  King  Solomon's  Temple  at  Jeru- 
salem. It  is  made  ideal  at  every  step,  by 
analogy  with  the  temple  in  the  heavens. 

This  whole  work  of  Building  and  of  a 
Builder,  involving  a  physical  and  a  spirit- 
ual aspect,  and  the  Temple  built,  on  earth 
and  in  the  heavens,  symbolises  the  Build- 
ing of  Individual  Character.  It  is  the  Work 
of  making  a  just  and  upright  Mason  out  of 


Freemasonry  as  a  Great  Work 169 

good  men  and  true,  of  making  a  Master  out 
of  a  Man. 

This  is  the  ''design  on  the  trestleboard", 
that  is,  the  concept  or  idea  of  the  whole 
Genius  of  Freemasonry.  The  method  of 
its  accomplishment  is  called  "Work",  the 
"Work  of  the  Lodge".  When  accomplished 
it  is  a  "Great  Work",,  The  design,  the 
method  of  work,  the  process  of  growth 
(previous  proficiency)  and  the  accom- 
plished result — a  living  temple  not  made 
by  hands,  with  its  foundation  in  the  "rub- 
bish of  the  temple  on  earth,  but  existing 
eternally  in  the  heavens — here  is  a  Man, 
made  a  Master,  and  endowed  with  Immor- 
tality. 

This  is  precisely  the  Magnum  Opus  of 
our  ancient  brethren,  the  "Great  Labour", 
the  "Great  Work",  the  "Great  Achieve- 
ment ' '.  First :  Self -Mastery ;  second :  The 
mastery  of  Immortality,  or  a  conscious  in- 
dividual experience  of  life  beyond  the 
grave. 

The  Magnum  Opus  in  this  sense  is  the 
recovery  of  the  Real  Word  of  a  Master. 
The  "Work"  of  the  Lodge  has  been  to  pre- 
serve the  tradition  of  the  Lost  Word  and 


170 The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

give  to  every  candidate  a  substitute  till 
the  real  Word  could  be  found,  recovered 
and  restored  to  the  Craft. 

It  may  thus  be  seen  that  the  word 
"Work",  like  the  word  "Light",  has  a 
very  deep  significance  in  Masonry;  and 
here  is  another  reason  why  Masonry  is 
called  ' '  a  progressive  science. ' ' 

There  is  found  in  very  many  Lodges 
great  interest  taken  and  pride  shown  in 
the  smoothness  and  perfection  of  the 
Work;  that  is,  in  the  use  of  the  ritual  in 
the  initiation  of  candidates,  and  this  is  ex- 
ceedingly commendable.  Any  Lodge  or 
body  of  men  ought  to  be  ashamed  to  render 
such  a  splendid  dramatic  representation 
in  a  careless  and  slovenly  manner.  The 
more  perfectly  this  dramatic  work  of  the 
Lodge  is  rendered  the  stronger  and  deeper 
the  impression  made  upon  the  candidate 
and  the  more  highly  will  the  whole  ritual 
and  work  be  regarded  by  every  Brother  of 
the  Lodge. 

Moreover,  such  appreciation,  regard  and 
loyalty  for  the  ordinary  work  of  the  Lodge, 
is  the  best  possible  preparation  for  that 
larger  Work  thus  symbolized.  It  would 


Freemasonry  as  a  Great  Work 171 

seem  impossible  for  any  intelligent, 
thoughtful  and  sincere  Mason  to  witness 
this  good,  square  work  of  the  Lodge,  with- 
out an  added  enthusiam  and  renewed  love 
and  zeal  for  the  Order  itself. 

When  from  this  appreciation  and  lauda- 
ble pride  thus  engendered,  he  reflects  that 
here  are  living  truths,  not  empty  words 
and  dead  and  meaningless  ceremonies,  he 
ought  to  be  prepared  and  qualified  to  take 
the  next  step  and  study  the  real  thing  of 
which  the  whole  ritual  and  work  of  the 
Lodge  stands  as  a  Living  Symbolism  from 
beginning  to  end.  He  will  find,  moreover, 
that  he  has  been  given  the  key  and  number- 
less clues  to  the  combination.  If  he  chooses 
to  dig  beneath  the  surface,  explore  the 
secret  vaults  in  which  the  ancient  Jewels 
were  concealed  and  preserved,  he  will  be 
able  to  answer  the  challenge,  give  the  coun- 
tersign, and  pass  on  into  the  Light  of  the 
Magnum  Opus. 

If  he  be  indifferent,  careless,  skeptical, 
or  contemptuous,  still  he  may  pass  on,  and 
be  neither  poorer  nor  wiser  than  before. 
He  can  neither  force  the  arch  nor  touch 
nor  destroy  the  treasure.  He  may  become 
lost  in  the  labyrinth,  hopelessly  bewildered, 


172 The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

and  come  to  the  conclusion  that  there  is  no 
clue,  no  escape  possible  for  man.  It  is  this 
bewilderment  in  life,  life  without  a  mean- 
ing, that  results  from  "no  designs  on  the 
trestleboard",  and  gives  rise  to  "confu- 
sion among  the  workmen."  And  then — 
"Have  you  seen  the  Grand  Master?'* 

It  does  not  seem  possible  for  symbol, 
ceremony  and  dramatic  art  to  go  further, 
or  make  the  question  of  the  ages  ("If  a 
man  die  shall  he  live  again?")  more  plain. 
It  would  seem  impossible  to  give  a  stronger 
clue  to  the  real  secret. 

Absence  of  design  (plan,  proportion,  re- 
lations, methods — how  to  build)  leads  to 
noise  and  confusion.  The  Grand  Master 
alone  can  furnish  the  designs,  for  he  alone 
knows.  He  knows,  because  he  has  "gone 
that  way  before. ' '  He  is  missing  and  the 
secret  is  lost.  Eestore  and  listen  to  the 
Master  (listening  ear,  etc.),  and  he  will  re- 
store the  Lost  Word. 

Then  there  is  the  search  for  the  Lost 
Word  or  a  clue  to  it.  There  is  the  Jewel 
found,  but  the  Key  (Life)  lost.  Life  is  re- 
stored and  the  substitute  found.  It  is  a 
substitute  to  the  candidate,  because  he  lacks 


Freemasonry  as  a  Great  Work 173 

the  personal  experience  of  the  Grand  Mas- 
ter. He  cannot  travel  in  foreign  countries, 
except  as  a  personal  experience. 

It  seems  the  purpose  and  aim  of  Ma- 
sonry to  give  the  candidate  at  this  point  (of 
the  real  secret)  everything  but  the  personal 
experience  of  a  real  Grand  Master,  and  it 
gives  every  possible  clue  to  and  direction 
for  this  personal  experience. 

I  have  known,  even  Masons,  who  had 
come  to  the  conclusion  that  life  is  without 
any  well-defined  purpose  or  meaning,  and 
that  the  future  life  is  entirely  unknown  and 
unknowable.  We  shall  realize  any  future 
life  there  may  be  for  man,  precisely  as  we 
do  this;  that  is,  it  must  be  a  personal  ex- 
perience in  order  to  be  realized.  How  do 
we  know  that  we  are  here  now,  as  living 
beings!  By  the  daily  experiences  of  life. 
So  also  the  actual  knowledge  of  a  life  be- 
yond this  must  be  experienced  to  be  real- 
ized or  known. 

The  Grand  Master  whom  Hiram  symbol- 
izes has  had  the  experience  on  the  spiritual 
plane,  seen,  sensed,  heard,  knows.  While 
he  cannot  transmit  that  experience  directly 
to  another,  more  than  I  can  see  through  an- 


174 The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

other's  eyes  on  the  physical  plane,  he  can 
give  the  results  of  his  own  experience,  de- 
scribe what  he  has  felt,  seen  and  heard  on 
the  spiritual  plane,  and  give  specific  in- 
struction how  to  gain  a  like  experience  with 
his  own.  Can  any  intelligent  person  im- 
agine how  he  can  do  more? 

It  can  be  seen  why  Masonry  is  called  a 
Great  School  in  the  Philosophy  of  Life,  a 
Great  School  in  Progressive  Moral  Science, 
and  the  Work  of  the  Lodge  a  Great  Work. 
Initiation  in  Freemasonry  places  the  can- 
didate directly  in  line  with  this  Great 
Work.  Hitherto  he  has  had  a  guide.  Now 
he  must  find  his  own  way  (do  it  himself). 
Formerly  others  have  prayed  for  him. 
Now  he  must  pray  for  himself.  To  know 
is  to  realize,  and  to  realize  is  to  become. 

To  travel  in  foreign  countries  and  re- 
ceive the  wages  (actual  knowledge  gained 
by  a  personal  experience)  of  a  Master,  one 
must  utilize  or  apply  the  philosophy 
taught,  and  follow  the  clues  and  hints  so 
plainly  given.  If  he  thinks  it  is  not '  *  worth 
while",  he  may  resume  work  in  the  same 
old  way,  as  a  hewer  of  wood  and  stone,  and 
there  is  nothing  to  prevent  him  from  disre- 


175 


garding  all  the  designs  on  the  trestleboard 
and  spoiling  the  work  if  he  chooses. 

Free  choice  goes  with  personal  respon- 
sibility. There  can  be  no  free  men  without 
free  choice,  and  no  real  Masters  except  as 
the  result  of  personal  effort  and  personal 
experience. 

Here,  indeed,  lies  a  Great  Work. 


"Moreover,  we  declare,  say,  de- 
fine and  pronounce,  that  every  hu- 
man being  should  be  subject  to  the 
Roman  Pontiff,  to  be  an  article  of 
necessary  faith. — Boniface  VIII. 


FREEMASONEY       AS      A      WORLD 
POWER  VERSUS  CLERICALISM. 


We  may  now  take  a  still  larger  view  of 
the  Institution  of  Freemasonry,  regarding 
it  as  one  of  two  great  world  powers,  influ- 
encing the  progress  of  the  human  race  and 
shaping  the  destiny  of  man.  Underlying 
the  incidents  of  time,  the  rise  and  fall  of 
empires,  the  waging  of  wars  of  conquest, 
the  conflicts  of  political  ambition — back  of 
all  these  there  lie  two  concepts  by  which 
rulers  and  those  ambitious  to  rule  man- 
kind, shape  their  policies  toward  the  mul- 
titude. 

These  concepts  or  principles  seem  basic 
in  human  nature,  and  are  readily  classed 
as  Good  and  Evil,  Selfishness  and  Altru- 
ism. They  are  the  two  powers  that  forever 
contend  for  mastery  in  the  soul  of  man. 

One  seeks  all  for  self,  at  the  sacrifice  of 
others.  The  other  seeks  to  serve  for  the 
177 


178 The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

benefit  of  all.  The  one  seeks  to  keep  man- 
kind in  ignorance  and  slavery,  in  order  that 
it  may  live  in  ease,  luxury  and  profligacy. 
The  other  seeks  to  enlighten  man  and  set 
him  free,  in  order  that  it  may  clasp  his 
hands  in  fellowship  and  fraternity  and  call 
him  comrade  and  Brother. 

These  two  principles  are  hidden  deep 
within  the  soul  of  man.  They  are  ever  in 
conflict,  and  they  influence  all  political  as- 
sociation and  all  institutions  of  man.  In 
two  instances  they  have  been  definitely  rec- 
ognized, carefully  formulated,  persistently 
and  deliberately  acted  upon  for  ages.  Both 
have  many  imitators  that  more  or  less 
clearly  conceive  and  act  upon  these  oppos- 
ing principles.  These  endure  for  a  time 
and  pass  away,  but  the  two  Great  World 
Powers  endure. 

The  following  summary  by  a  Brother 
Mason  is  the  most  concise  statement  possi- 
ble regarding  these  opposing  principles 
and  the  two  organizations  that  represent 
them  and  confront  each  other  through  the 
ages: 

"From  the  dawn  of  civilization  to  the 
present  moment  two  active  and  opposing 


World  Power  vs.  Clericalism 179 

forces  have  been  engaged  in  deadly  conflict 
over  the  destiny  of  human  intelligence. 

"One  of  these  has  ever  been  the  unfal- 
tering, courageous  and  consistent  cham- 
pion of  individual  life,  individual  liberty 
and  individual  happiness.  The  other 
has,  with  equal  consistency  and  persist- 
ency, sought  to  dominate  and  control  the 
life,  intelligence  and  conscience  of  the  indi- 
vidual and  subject  him  to  intellectual  bond- 
age and  servitude. 

"The  one  has  openly  fostered  the  spirit 
of  freedom  and  independence  as  a  basic 
principle  of  individual  and  organic  human 
life.  The  other  has  covertly  sought  to  re- 
duce the  individual  to  the  status  of  a  mere 
instrument  in  the  hands  and  under  the 
domination  and  control  of  an  aggregate 
organic  will  and  design. 

"The  one  has  dignified  and  emphasized 
the  individual  intelligence  and  appreciated 
its  value  to  both  itself  and  society.  The 
other  has  persistently  ignored  the  great 
fundamental  fact  of  Nature,  that  the  indi- 
vidual in  his  own  right,  as  such,  is  invested 
with  certain  indefeasible  attributes  and 


180 The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

certain  inalienable  rights,  privileges  and 
benefits  which  must  be  respected. 

"The  one  has  recognized  the  fact  that 
man's  value  to  himself  as  an  individual  is 
the  only  sure  and  true  measure  of  his  value 
as  an  active,  living  factor  in  the  social  or- 
ganism of  which  he  is  a  part.  The  other 
has  proceeded  as  if  upon  the  assumption 
that  man  has  but  one  value,  namely,  his 
value  to  the  great  aggregate  body  of  which 
he  is  a  part,  and  that  his  value,  even  in 
that  capacity,  is  measured  by  the  degree 
to  which  his  individual  will,  intelligence 
and  conscience  are  subject  to  the  domina- 
tion and  control  of  that  aggregate  body. 

"The  one  develops  individual  Intelli- 
gence, Courage  and  Perseverance  and  a 
sense  of  Individual  Responsibility  through 
the  power  and  process  of  a  broad  and  lib- 
eral education.  The  other  commands  obe- 
dience and  subjection  through  the  power  of 
Ignorance,  Superstition  and  Fear. 

"At  the  very  cradle  of  humanity  these 
two  forces  arrayed  themselves  in  an  irre- 
pressible conflict.  At  that  point  the  strug- 
gle began.  From  that  point  forward 
throughout  all  the  subsequent  ages,  even 


World  Power  vs.  Clericalism 181 

to  the  present  time,  it  has  continued  una- 
bated. At  no  time  within  the  limits  of 
authentic  history  has  the  conflict  reached 
a  more  critical  stage  than  in  this,  the  dawn- 
ing of  the  twentieth  Christian  century. 

"And  who  are  the  contending  parties  to 
this  vital  conflict? 

"Broadly  and  abstractly  speaking,  they 
are  Light  and  Darkness ;  Truth  and  False- 
hood; Construction  and  Destruction;  Life 
and  Death;  the  Widow's  Son  and  the  Ruf- 
fians. But  more  specifically  and  correctly, 
they  are  the  two  most  powerful  organic 
bodies  of  intelligence  upon  earth,  together 
with  the  individual  intelligences  who  have 
voluntarily  arrayed  themselves  upon  oppo- 
site sides  of  the  two  great  principles  in- 
volved in  the  struggle. 

"But  to  what  great  organic  bodies  is  ref- 
erence here  made!  It  is  sufficient  at  this 
time  to  state  that  one  is  the  great  organic 
body  of  MASONRY,  together  with  the  parent 
organization  from  which  it  received  its  no- 
ble inspiration  to  Life,  Liberty  and  Hap- 
piness."* 


"'The  Great  Psychological  Crime,"  page  385. 


182 The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

It  would  be  difficult  to  imagine  and  im- 
possible to  define  a  stronger  contrast  than 
is  here  drawn  between  the  agencies  of 
Good  and  Evil,  Light  and  Darkness.  If 
any  one  word  is  monumented  in  Masonry 
more  than  another,  it  is  the  word — Light. 

Every  just  and  upright  Mason  is  in  a 
position  to  judge  how  far  the  foregoing 
references  to  Good  and  Light,  Liberty  and 
Fraternity,  apply  to  the  Institution  of 
Freemasonry.  They  are  embodied,  pre- 
served and  monumented  in  the  ritual  and 
Work  of  the  Order  from  beginning  to  end. 

The  author  above  quoted  does  not  at  that 
point  designate  the  opposing  organization. 
Can  any  Mason  familiar  with  the  history 
of  his  Order,  or  of  its  trials  and  persecu- 
tions in  the  past,  be  in  any  doubt  as  to  the 
identity  of  the  opposing  Institution  re- 
ferred to  ?  It  is,  it  can  be  no  other  than  Or- 
ganized Clericalism,  or  the  Eoman  Catholic 
Hierarchy. 

It  is  more  than  fifteen  hundred  years  old. 
Its  history  is  a  trail  of  blood  and  relent- 
less persecution  of  all  its  accredited  ene- 
mies, among  which  it  counts  Masonry  as 
first.  It  rests  its  claims  to  power  on  the 


World  Power  vs.  Clericalism  183 

dogmas  of  divine  authority  and  obedience. 
It  boasts  that  it  "never  forgets  an  injury 
nor  forgives  an  enemy."  It  is  relentless 
and  cruel.  The  principles  of  Liberty,  Jus- 
tice, Equity  and  Fraternity  outside  its 
"authority"  it  resents  and  repudiates.  It 
curses  Masonry  for  its  secrecy,  and  yet  is 
itself  the  most  secret  and  cunning  of  all 
known  Institutions  of  man. 

It  should  be  distinctly  understood  and 
never  for  a  moment  forgotten,  that  the 
Catholic  Hierarchy  is  a  secular  political 
Institution,  ambitious  for  power,  and  ut- 
terly unscrupulous  in  its  methods  of  secur- 
ing it,  "the  end  always  justifying  the 
means."  This  political  machine  shields 
itself  under  the  so-called  Christian  Relig- 
ion which  it  has  sophisticated  for  its  use. 
This  so-called  "Religion",  therefore,  fur- 
nishes a  cloak  under  which  the  schemes  and 
ambitions  of  the  Hierarchy  can  be  contin- 
ually disguised  and  safely  and  relentlessly 
pursued. 

No  reference  is  herein  had  or  designed 
regarding  the  average  Catholic  Priest  or 
the  mass  of  communicants.  These  are  for 
the  most  part  ignorant  of  the  political  ma- 


184  The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

chine,  though  compelled,  under  the  dogma 
of  blind  " obedience",  to  further  its 
schemes  and  ambitions. 

That  there  may  be  no  misunderstanding 
and  no  debate  at  this  point,  the  Dogma  of 
Papal  Infallibility  was  instituted.  The 
Pope  is  "the  first  and  the  last,"  "the  sole 
and  last  judge  of  the  consciences  of  men, ' ' 
as  claimed  by  Archbishop  Manning  and  by 
all  Papal  representatives. 

Here,  then,  is  the  largest  and  most  pow- 
erful organization  that  ever  existed  on  this 
earth;  secret,  unscrupulous,  ambitious,  to 
the  last  degree.  It  tramples  on  every  indi- 
vidual right,  ignores  every  human  and  fra- 
ternal obligation  and  holds  the  masses  in 
bondage  through  Ignorance,  Superstition 
and  Fear. 

Freemasonry  is  the  only  Institution,  the 
only  World  Power,  that  fully  recognizes 
this  enemy  of  man,  this  bar  to  freedom, 
progress  and  evolution. 

Fortunately  for  mankind  the  march  of 
civilization,  the  trend  of  evolution  and  the 
onward  and  upward  progress  of  man  are 
all  against  these  monstrous  claims  and  am- 
bitions of  Clericalism.  This  gigantic  Mo- 


World  Power  vs.  Clericalism 185 

loch  here  faces  the  lines  of  greatest  resist- 
ance and  works  against  both  God  and  Na- 
ture. Were  it  not  so,  the  world  long  ago 
would  have  been  helplessly  and  hopelessly 
in  its  clutches. 

The  body  of  the  Church,  however,  out- 
side the  central  hierarchical  core,  is  torn 
by  dissension.  In  spite  of  all  that  a  nar- 
row, dogmatic  and  superstitious  education 
can  do  to  deprave  the  thousands  of  young 
Catholics  all  over  the  world,  both  individual 
priests  and  some  of  the  laity  imbibe  some- 
thing of  the  real  spirit  of  Christ,  and  of 
the  rights  of  conscience  and  of  individual 
responsibility. 

Freemasonry  is  the  world-wide  and  eter- 
nal enemy  of  all  this  modernized  Paganism. 
It  stands  everywhere  and  at  all  times  for 
the  opposite,  the  exact  antithesis  of  all  this. 
It  stands  for  Individual  Freedom  and  Per- 
sonal Responsibility,  for  the  rights  of  con- 
science and  private  judgment.  It  is,  there- 
fore, in  line  with,  and  is  the  handmaid  and 
helper  of  the  Uplift,  the  higher  evolution 
of  man. 

What  if  it  be  outnumbered  a  thousand  to 
one  by  the  ambitious  Hierarchy  of  Cleri- 


186 The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

calism  and  their  ignorant  and  superstitious 
hordes.  It  has  Eight  and  Justice,  Light 
and  Liberty,  God  and  Nature,  on  its  side. 
It  is  squarely  aligned  with  human  evolu- 
tion, and  can  never  fail  while  God  is  in  the 
heavens,  while  law  exists,  and  Nature, 
Progress,  and  Civilization  are  possible  to 
man,  provided,  he  adheres  to  its  principles, 
preserves  its  landmarks,  and  every  Brother 
exemplifies  these  principles  in  his  own  life 
and  does  his  duty. 

The  principal  activities  of  Masonry  to- 
day in  this  country  consist  in  the  reception 
and  initiation  of  candidates,  and  in  such 
business  meetings  and  transactions  as  seem 
necessary  for  the  preservation  and  govern- 
ment of  the  Lodge.  If  wise  precaution  and 
just  discrimination  are  exercised  in  the  ad- 
mission of  candidates,  so  that  only  those 
who  are  duly  prepared  and  found  worthy 
and  qualified  are  admitted,  then  this 
growth  and  steady  increase  in  members  of 
the  fraternity  is  wise  and  beneficent. 

But  if  this  increase  in  numbers  is  all 
there  is  to  the  Work  of  Masonry;  if  this 
great  body  of  good  men  and  true  do  not 
realize  the  work  in  and  for  the  world 


World  Power  vs.  Clericalism 187 

whereunto  they  are  ordained  and  set  apart ; 
if  they  do  not  array  themselves  everywhere 
and  at  all  times,  on  the  side  of  Justice, 
Equity  and  Bight,  Liberty  and  Fraternity, 
regardless  of  Party  Politics  and  all  other 
considerations ;  if  they  are  not  watchful  of 
the  constant  encroachments  of  the  heredi- 
tary enemy  upon  our  liberties,  our  Free 
Schools  and  all  our  Democratic  Institutions 
— then  this  Institution  of  Freemasonry 
ceases  to  be  a  World  Power  and  degener- 
ates into  a  fad,  a  mere  pretense. 

With  God,  Nature,  Liberty,  Progress  and 
Evolution  on  its  side  and  Light  as  its  bea- 
con star,  this  World  Power  may  take  the 
lead  in  all  progress  and  do  more  than  all 
other  influences  combined  toward  Construc- 
tive Liberty  and  the  upward  march  of  man. 
The  highest  good  of  the  individual  will  thus 
secure  permanent  benefits  and  the  greatest 
good  of  all.  If  the  welfare  of  the  individual 
were  essentially  antagonistic  to  that  of  the 
State,  then  God  and  Nature  and  Man  would 
be  essentially  at  cross  purposes  and  prog- 
ress and  evolution  would  be  impossible. 

Huxley  declared  the  object  of  all  Science 
to  be  the  discernment  of  the  "rational  or- 


188 The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

der  that  pervades  the  universe."  This  is 
the  meaning  of  Law  and  the  foundation  of 
Justice.  Whenever  man  discerns  this  ra- 
tional order  and  builds  upon  it,  his  founda- 
tion is  sure  and  his  work  enduring  and 
beneficent. 

The  greatest  reproach  that  can  be 
brought  against  Masons  today  is  that  they 
seem  ignorant  of,  and  indifferent  to  these 
great  Principles  of  the  Order.  If  they 
could  but  realize  their  privileges  and 
awaken  to  their  real  obligations  as  one 
man,  they  could  transform  this  "experi- 
ment in  self-government"  into  an  Ideal  Be- 
public,  and  constitute  a  World  Power  hith- 
erto unknown  on  any  such  scale  in  the  his- 
tory of  the  human  race. 

The  time  is  near  at  hand  when  every 
Mason  as  every  freeman  will  have  to  define 
his  position  on  these  momentous  issues. 
The  progress  of  scientific  discovery,  the 
arts,  manufacture,  commerce  and  means  of 
transportation  and  communication  have 
developed  so  rapidly  as  to  draw  all  parts 
of  the  earth  and  all  sections  of  the  habita- 
ble globe  nearer  together.  War  has  be- 


World  Power  vs.  Clericalism 189 

come  so  destructive  that  it  will  have  to 
cease,  or  civilization  must  perish. 

In  the  meantime,  the  rapid  increase  and 
enormous  accumulation  of  wealth  have  in- 
tensified the  struggle  between  the  wage- 
earner  and  the  capitalist,  so  that  intestine 
strife  is  as  imminent  as  hitherto  that  be- 
tween nations  or  political  parties  has  been. 
The  aggregate  population  in  cities  as  com- 
pared with  rural  districts  has  increased 
enormously  and  is  rapidly  increasing. 
These  issues  are  imminent,  and  strife  is 
engendered  in  the  interest  of  Power  at  the 
expense  and  in  defiance  of  Justice. 

The  recognition  of  the  principles  of 
Equity  and  Justice,  based  on  the  principle 
of  mutual  interests  and  mutual  needs,  can 
alone  prevent  collision  or-  maintain  peace 
and  prosperity. 

Capital  is  accumulated  and  massed  as  an 
engine  of  power,  and  used  to  exploit  and 
oppress  the  poor  and  the  producer.  Labor 
organizes  and  retaliates.  These  powers 
are  equal,  however  dissimilar  they  may  be. 
Neither  can  exist  without  the  other,  and 
yet  they  may  destroy  each  other.  If  they 
would  but  co-operate,  frankly  and  honestly, 


190  The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

they  might  secure  mutual  advantages  and 
avoid  all  the  waste  and  the  dangers  of 
strife. 

The  principles  of  Freemasonry  aim  at 
precisely  this  fraternal  co-operation  be- 
tween individuals  and  corporate  bodies  ev- 
erywhere. Every  Masonic  Lodge  is  a  Peace 
Conference,  where  arms  and  ammunition 
are  forever  laid  aside  and  where  he  who  is 
Master  is  the  servant  of  all. 

I  trust  that  the  time  may  never  come 
when  Masonry  as  an  organized  body  shall 
appear  in  the  arena  of  the  world's  politics, 
or  seek  political  power.  This  is  a  condition 
almost  inconceivable  and  entirely  foreign 
to  the  real  Genius  of  the  Order.  It  is  in- 
conceivable for  the  reason  that  all  parties 
are  likely  to  be  represented  in  the  Lodge, 
and  the  dominance  of  a  majority  would  not 
carry  but  split  the  Lodge.  The  same  may 
be  said  of  the  predominance  of  any  sect  or 
religious  Order  or  organization.  Too  much 
prominence  already  has  been  given  in  cer- 
tain quarters  to  symbols  and  ceremonies 
of  the  Christian  Religion.  Any  doctrine, 
symbol  or  ceremony  that  could  in  any  way 
be  offensive  or  exclusive  to  a  Jew  or  Par- 


World  Power  vs.  Clericalism 191 

see  is  just  so  far  un-Masonic.  No  real 
World  Power  with  the  claim  of  Justice  can 
be  exclusive.  It  must  be  inclusive  and  not 
dogmatic. 

Clericalism  is,  indeed,  a  World  Power, 
and  it  is  ambitious  to  be  at  the  same  time 
inclusive,  exclusive,  dogmatic  and  intoler- 
ant. It  would  include  all  peoples,  races 
and  religions,  provided  they  would  drop  all 
other  obedience  and  conform  to  the  dogmas 
and  yield  to  the  authority  of  the  Roman 
Catholic  Hierarchy.  The  Church  does  not 
affiliate.  It  proposes  to  stand  alone  and 
supreme,  and  to  absorb  all  other  organiza- 
tions. It  appeals  to  no  principle  of  Justice 
or  Equity.  The  "Thunders  of  the  Vati- 
can" are  proverbial.  They  are  dogmatic, 
unreasoning,  autocratic  and  insolent.  They 
seek  power  in  "Free  America"  for  the  sole 
purpose ' '  of  making  America  Catholic.  God 
wills  it" — declares  Archbishop  Ireland. 

Here,  then,  is  a  World  Power  seeking  do- 
minion, declaring  openly  its  motive,  but 
concealing  its  methods.  These  methods  are 
monumented  in  torture,  persecution  and 
blood,  on  every  page  of  the  world's  his- 
tory. 


192 The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

Masonry  is  a  World  Power,  not  through 
ambition  to  rule,  not  through  organizing 
and  exploiting  the  ignorant  that  it  may  de- 
grade and  oppress  them,  but  through  its 
educational  influence  on  the  individual, 
through  the  transcendency  of  character 
over  creed,  of  justice  over  oppression,  and 
through  its  Fraternal  influence  on  the 
whole  human  race.  It  is  not  ambitious  for 
numbers,  regarding  as  it  does  a  few  se- 
lected good  men  and  true  who  are  ready  to 
do  their  whole  duty  as  Men  and  Brothers, 
as  the  conservators  of  society  and  exem- 
plars to  the  world.  Need  any  intelligent 
man  be  in  doubt  as  to  which  of  these  two 
World  Powers  floats  the  banner,  "Peace 
on  earth,  and  Good  Will  to  man"? 

It  is  folly  for  any  Mason  to  ignore  or 
deny  this  plain  issue,  or  seek  to  evade  it. 
Let  Clericalism  continue  to  gain  power  in 
"Free  America"  for  another  decade,  as  in 
the  past,  by  the  amassing  of  wealth,  in- 
creasing and  organizing  its  voters  and  con- 
solidating and  drilling  its  Catholic 
Knights,  and  it  will  be  in  position  to  is- 
sue its  decrees  and  make  its  own  terms. 
It  is  simply  imbecile  to  ignore  or  deny  it. 


World  Power  vs.  Clericalism 193 

The  supine  indifference  of  many  otherwise 
good  Masons  simply  fortifies  the  power  of 
Clericalism  and  gives  it  an  easy  victory. 
The  outcry  of  Papacy  against  Masons  in 
France  shows  that  it  knows  where  to  lo- 
cate and  how  to  curse  its  hereditary  enemy. 

Whenever  and  wherever  Eoman  Clerical- 
ism has  had  political  power  or  sufficient 
political  influence  it  has  imprisoned  and 
tortured  and  killed  Masons  and  done  its 
utmost  to  crush  out  and  destroy  Masonry. 
Now  that  it  has  but  little  direct  political  in- 
fluence it  works  in  secret  for  the  same  end, 
and  by  Jesuitry  and  secret  cunning  seeks 
to  accomplish  the  same  purpose  with  the 
hope,  through  amassed  wealth  and  the  con- 
trol of  all  Catholic  votes,  of  ultimately  re- 
gaining political  power.  No  one  need  be  in 
the  least  doubt  as  to  how  that  political 
power,  however  gained,  would  be  used. 

'  *  Roman  Catholicism  wherever  acting  as 
a  politico-ecclesiastical  organization,  pur- 
poses to  vote  as  a  unit.  This  is  a  standing 
menace  to  republican  government."  Listen 
to  Pope  Pius  IX  in  his  Syllabus,  Dec.  8, 
1864.  "She"  (the  Church)  "has  the  right 
to  exercise  her  power  without  the  permis- 


194 The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

sion  or  consent  of  the  State.  She  has  the 
right  to  require  that  the  Catholic  religion 
shall  be  the  only  religion  of  the  State  to 
the  exclusion  of  all  others." 

In  his  Encyclical  of  December,  1892,  the 
Pope  says:  "Permit  us  then,  in  address- 
ing you,  to  point  to  Masonry  as  an  enemy 
at  once  of  God,  the  Church,  and  our  coun- 
try. "  *  *  *  "  Since  we  are  dealing  with 
a  sect  which  has  spread  itself  everywhere, 
it  is  not  enough  to  be  on  the  defensive  tow- 
ards it,  but  we  must  go  courageously  into 
the  arena  and  meet  it,  as  you  will  do,  dear 
children,  by  opposing  press  to  press,  school 
to  school,  association  to  association,  con- 
gress to  congress,  action  to  action." 

Bead  the  whole  Encyclical  in  "Facing 
the  Twentieth  Century,"  and  see  if  there 
can  be  any  mystery  in  the  consolidation  of 
the  Knights  of  Columbus  all  over  the 
world,  or  in  the  recent  convocation  of  six 
hundred  Jesuits  in  Chicago,  with  doors 
closed  except  to  the  * '  Sons  of  Loyola, ' '  or 
in  the  announced  gathering  of  one  and  a 
half  million  of  representatives  of  Catholic 
societies  in  St.  Louis  in  July  of  this  year. 

The  Freemason  who  is  indifferent  to 


World  Power  vs.  Clericalism 195 

these  things,  or  who  simply  "poo-poohs" 
them,  had  better  begin  with  the  alphabet  of 
Masonry,  and  see  if  he  cannot  gain  a  little 
more  Light.  Or  does  he  prefer  to  wait  till 
the  "gun  goes  off,"  and  then  say  he 
1 '  didn  't  know  it  was  loaded  ? " ! !  It  is  his 
business  to  know  it  now,  and  so  curb  blind 
fanaticism  and  prevent  disaster. 

The  interests  of  Freemasonry  are  bound 
up  with  the  interests  of  Light,  Freedom 
and  Progress  in  this  Eepublic.  The  enemy 
of  one  is  the  avowed  enemy  of  both.  A 
traitor  to  one  is  a  traitor  to  the  other,  be- 
cause they  both  spring  from  the  same 
source,  are  based  upon  the  same  principles, 
aim  at  the  same  results,  viz.,  Liberty 
against  Despotism;  Light  against  Dark- 
ness; Progress  against  Paganism,  Igno- 
rance and  Superstition;  Courage  against 
Fear  and  Degeneracy. 

We  hear  the  boast  everywhere  today 
that  these  United  States  are  a  ""World 
Power".  If  this  be  true,  this  power  lies 
not  in  our  Navy  or  our  Standing  Army,  or 
in  our  physical,  agricultural  or  financial 
resources  alone,  though  the  governments 
of  the  world  would  hesitate  in  defying  all 


196 The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

these.  The  real  power  lies  in  the  Prin- 
ciples of  Justice,  Equity,  Freedom  and 
Fraternity  upon  which  this  government 
was  founded.  If  our  starry  banner  means 
less  than  this,  or  deliberately  ignores  or 
forgets  these  Principles,  then  is  it  a  pre- 
tense, deserving  only  to  be  trailed  in  the 
dust.  We  honor  it,  and  the  world  respects 
it  for  what  it  represents. 

The  hands  of  Freemasons  placed  these 
eternal  Principles  at  the  very  foundation 
of  this  Republic,  and  proceeded  to  pledge 
to  them  "their  Life,  their  Liberty,  and 
their  Sacred  Honor".  Many  of  them  sealed 
the  compact  with  their  blood.  These  United 
States  today  are  a  World  Power,  because 
Masonic  Principles  lie  at  their  foundation. 
Masonry  is  a  World  Power  because  of 
these  same  Principles.  The  Principles  are 
the  same  whether  advocated  and  adhered 
to  by  one  man  or  by  seventy  million  men. 
Numbers  and  Navies  and  Standing  Armies 
do  not  create  Principles,  nor  make  right 
wrong.  Principles  are  eternal  and  as  un- 
changing as  fate,  and  the  nations  that  for- 
get Justice,  Equity  and  Right  Die!  So  per- 
ished the  civilization  of  Egypt,  and  so  per- 


World  Power  vs.  Clericalism 197 

ish  "all  the  Nations  that  forget  God",  for 
God  is  Justice  and  Light. 

The  intelligence  of  mankind  has  evolved 
too  far  for  the  continued  dominance  of  ig- 
norance, superstition  and  fear.  The  policy 
of  Roman  Clericalism  was  evolved  in  the 
Dark  Ages.  Its  boast  is  that  it  is  infallible 
and  never  changes.  Every  step  in  the  on- 
ward and  upward  march  of  the  human 
race  weakens  its  hold  by  freeing  from 
superstition  its  adherents.  From  open  and 
aggressive  warfare  has  it  turned  to  se- 
crecy, cunning  and  fraud  to  gain  its  ends. 

It  seeks  to  control  the  education  of  the 
young  in  order  to  instill  into  them  the 
dogma  of  authority  and  obedience.  It  pro- 
tests against  Freedom  and  the  rights  of 
Conscience,  the  very  basis  of  character  and 
personal  responsibility,  and  this  it  does  in 
the  name  of  what  it  calls  "Religion". 
It  is  now  making  its  supreme  struggle  to 
retain  its  prestige  and  power  in  this  coun- 
try, through  massing  and  controlling  votes 
and  the  accumulation  of  wealth.  It  thus 
debauches  the  very  freedom  which  Amer- 
ica offers  to  the  world. 

If  any  Masonic  Brother  doubts  the  ex- 


198 The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

istence  of  such  a  religio-political  scheme 
on  the  part  of  Roman  Catholic  Clerics,  let 
him  read  carefully,  "Facing  the  Twenti- 
eth Century",  by  James  M.  King,  pub- 
lished by  Jennings  &  Pye. 

That  this  body  of  scheming  priests  in 
Borne  can  accomplish  all  this  in  Free 
America,  only  they — debauched  by  arro- 
gance, pride  and  ambition — could  ever 
imagine.  But  that  this  is  their  effort,  aim 
and  ambition,  "to  make  America  Catho- 
lic", they  have  declared  openly  over  and 
over  again;  and  when  with  confidence, 
through  organization,  votes  and  wealth, 
they  think  they  can  win,  or  their  real  pur- 
pose can  be  no  longer  concealed  from  an 
awakened  people,  then  resistance  will  mean 
strife  and  bloodshed.  If  every  just  and 
upright  Mason  will  awake  and  do  his  duty, 
these  politico-religious  schemers  will  real- 
ize here,  as  they  have  in  France,  that  their 
ambitions  are  vain,  and  their  political 
power  at  an  end. 

I  am  not  seeking  to  excite  hostility.  I 
am  urging  the  prevention  of  civil  war,  and 
fraternal  strife.  When  this  strife  is  over, 
if  come  it  must,  the  secret,  cunning  Jesuit 


World  Power  vs.  Clericalism 199 

will  be  banished  from  America,  as  he  has 
been  from  almost  every  other  country  on 
the  earth.  That  Freedom  which  he  has 
only  abused  will  be  no  longer  his.  He  will 
be  recognized  as  a  traitor  to  all  our  Free 
Institutions,  and  sent  back  to  that  muck 
heap  of  the  Koman  Pontiffs  whence  he 
sprung. 

America  will  never  be  governed  by  a  lot 
of  monks  in  petticoats  from  the  Roman 
Vatican,  whatever  it  may  cost  to  loosen 
their  clutch,  and  reduce  them  to  the  rank 
of  aliens  and  traitors.  They  would  have 
no  power  at  the  present  time  had  they  not 
sophisticated  and  then  exploited  the  reli- 
gion of  Jesus,  and  under  the  pretense  of 
religion  carried  on  their  political  schemes. 
To  expose  the  utter  falsehood  of  their  so- 
called  religion  is  to  defeat  their  political 
schemes. 

There  are  probably  few  Masonic  Lodges 
in  our  great  cities  to  which  the  Jesuit  does 
not  gain  admission.  Secret  and  cunning, 
and  regarding  no  oath  nor  obligation  as 
binding  outside  his  Order,  and  absolved 
in  advance  under  the  Jesuitical  doctrine 
that  "the  end  justifies  the  means",  he  re- 


200 The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

ports  to  his  superiors  those  " secrets"  he 
so  loudly  condemns. 

There  are  also  few  if  any  of  the  daily 
newspapers  that  are  not  under  boycott  to 
exclude  everything  inimical  to  the  inter- 
ests of  Clericalism.  It  is  thus  that  this 
dark  World  Power  has  apparently  every- 
thing its  own  way.  It  will  find  in  the  de- 
nouement that  it  has  "reckoned  without 
its  host",  and  will  be  held  responsible  for 
the  consequences. 


FACTS  AND  REFERENCES. 


It  would  be  beyond  the  scope  and  dimen- 
sions of  this  book  to  multiply  references 
and  to  give  all  the  facts  that  justify  the 
statements  and  lead  to  the  conclusions 
herein  set  forth.  The  records  are  by  no 
means  meager  nor  inefficient.  Bowers' 
"History  of  the  Popes",  Middleton's 
' '  Letters  from  Rome ' ',  Robertson 's  *  *  Foot- 
prints of  the  Jesuits,"  and  Gladstone's 
edition  of  "The  Vatican  Decrees",  will 
abundantly  justify  the  general  trend  of 
Clericalism  herein  portrayed. 

The  relation  of  auricular  confession  to 
Politics  is  well  set  forth  in  De  Lasteyrie's 
"History  of  Auricular  Confession".  Some 
of  these  works  are  quite  old,  but  as  the 
policy  of  Rome  is  said  never  to  change, 
and  as  the  principles  of  nature  and  of  hu- 
man action  are  themselves  changeless,  they 
all  apply  to  present  situations. 
201 


202 The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

In  spite  of  all  that  is  known  and  verified, 
the  policy  and  resources  for  concealment 
in  the  Catholic  organization  are  altogether 
unequaled.  With  the  superstitious  fear  of 
excommunication,  and  the  opportunity  to 
persecute,  evil  deeds  are  well  concealed 
from  the  public.  In  spite  of  all  this,  even 
in  Catholic  countries,  the  protests  against 
abominations  countenanced  or  perpetrated 
by  the  priesthood  are  loud  and  deep.  The 
whole  history  of  the  Dreyfuss  episode  in 
recent  times  is  an  instructive  lesson.  Jesu- 
itical Intrigue,  Injustice,  Cruelty  and  Per- 
secution— four-faced  monster — thy  name 
is  Clericalism! 

4 'In  countries  of  Anglo-Saxon  civiliza- 
tion an  accused  man  is  considered  innocent 
until  proved  guilty,  but  in  countries  of 
Latin  civilization  an  accused  man  is  con- 
sidered guilty  until  he  is  proved  innocent. '  ' 
The  Dreyfuss  case  is  in  point. 

"The  spirit  and  character  of  the  In- 
quisition have  poisoned  the  blood  of  the 
body  politic  in  every  nation  where  Rome 
yet  has  ecclesiastical  hold  upon  the  peo- 
ple." (King.) 

"Latin  civilization  at  the  present  time 


Facts  and  References  203 

has  only  one  bond  in  common,  and  that  is 
the  recognition  of  Romanism  as  a  politico- 
ecclesiastical  religious  power,  used  for  po- 
litical purposes. "  (King.) 

Tact  and  expediency,  knowing  how  to 
avail  itself  of  conditions,  circumstances 
and  opportunities,  characterize  the  whole 
history  of  Eoman  Ecclesiasticism.  In 
pagan  countries,  in  India,  Ceylon  and  the 
far  East,  Catholicism  modified,  rechrist- 
ened,  sophisticated  and  then  adopted  the 
heathen  deities,  temples,  ceremonies  and 
customs.  The  whole  Roman  Pantheon  is 
thus  derived.  Not  only  have  all  roads  thus 
led  to  Rome,  but  all  peoples  and  all  re- 
ligions and  superstitions  have  paid  her 
tribute. 

This  "worldly  wisdom"  has  thus  built 
up  Rome,  but  at  horrible  cost  to  humanity 
and  the  progress  of  civilization.  All  real 
progress  for  man  has  been  in  the  face  of, 
and  in  spite  of  this  incubus,  which  is  the 
real  genius  of  the  Latin  Race  and  the  ani- 
mus and  policy  of  Roman  Clericalism.  Its 
policy  in  America  today  is  in  strict  keep- 
ing with  all  its  past  history.  Without  hon- 
estly adopting  one  of  the  principles  of  our 


204 The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

Free  Country,  it  is  secretly  and  surrepti- 
tiously adapting  and  sophisticating  them, 
one  and  all,  to  Politico-Clericalism. 

Take  a  single  practical  illustration  al- 
ready referred  to.  The  present  writer 
lived  in  the  city  of  Chicago  as  a  boy  of 
the  age  of  twelve,  when  the  city  had  45,000 
inhabitants.  Now  it  numbers  over  2,000,- 
000.  All  this  growth  has  occurred  in  the 
lifetime  of  one  man.  Today  the  Catholic 
Church  holds  $50,000,000  of  untaxed  real 
estate  in  the  city  of  Chicago  alone.  At  the 
same  rate  of  increase,  how  much  will  the 
Church  hold  fifty  years  hence,  sequestered 
from  taxation?  The  State  holds  no  title 
or  claim  to  this  vast  estate,  except  the 
power  to  tax  it  for  revenue. 

The  conditions  were  different  and  far 
easier  in  France,  but  witness  the  hulla- 
baloo there  in  the  effort  of  the  State  to 
release  the  grip  of  Rome. 
.  Does  any  one  imagine  that  Clericalism 
has  not  realized  its  opportunity  here  in 
America  and  taken  the  utmost  advantage 
of  it?  How  will  you  dispossess  them  when 
they  own  the  whole  of  Chicago  ?  Who  will 
then  pay  the  taxes?  The  Clerics  will  run 


Facts  and  References 205 

the  city,  if  they  do  not  already,  but  they 
are  always  willing  that  others  should  pay 
the  taxes — to  them!  Taxation  of  Church 
property  is  the  only  present  solution  of  this 
problem. 

What  the  Clerics  are  accomplishing  in 
Chicago  they  are  doing  in  every  State, 
County  and  City  in  America. 

Not  only  does  this  Eoman  Clericalism 
add  nothing  to  the  revenues,  but  aside 
from  thus  gaining  vast  estates  free  from 
taxation,  it  continually  taxes  the  people  to 
procure  more  land  and  build  more  church- 
es, parish  houses,  parochial  schools  and 
the  like,  and  stands  in  with  the  Boss  for 
revenue  in  every  possible  way  by  deliver- 
ing a  solid  Catholic  vote.  Over  $8,000,000 
were  thus  secured  during  three  years  of 
the  Boss  Tweed  regime  in  New  York  City 
from  the  public  funds,  many  of  the  bene- 
ficiaries having  no  existence  except  on 
paper.  How  long  will  it  take  this  foreign 
bird  of  pray,  settled  so  cozily  in  the  nest 
of  the  American  Eagle,  to  oust  the  eagle 
and  claim  the  nest  "by  the  grace  of  God"? 
He  who  even  protests,  is  an  "atheist  at- 
tacking Religion. ' ' 


206 The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

This  Roman  Clericalism,  working  seven 
days  a  week  in  Politics,  is  a  religion,  and 
all  the  religion  there  is,  according  to  the 
Roman  Pontiff.  As  a  cold  matter  of  fact, 
it  is  the  worst  fraud,  the  most  colossal 
humbug  that  ever  disgraced  humanity  in 
any  age. 

"Politico-Ecclesiastical  Eomanism  con- 
tinues to  be  in  this,  and  in  all  lands,  an 
organized  conspiracy  against  the  liberties 
of  mankind. ' '  ( King. ) 

"The  Inquisition  was  an  ecclesiastical 
torture  machine,  run  with  religious  zeal, 

and    employed    for    political    purposes." 

*     *     * 

"The  secret  of  the  diabolical  possibil- 
ities of  'Holy  Office'  (inquisition)  was 
found  in  the  Confessional,  where  the  more 
honest  and  pious  the  believer,  the  more 
valuable  the  testimony  he  would  be  liable 
to  give  to  the  unscrupulous  priest  who 
stood  between  his  soul  and  his  God;  and, 
prostituting  his  sacred  office,  the  priest 
passed  the  secrets  of  the  soul  and  the 
safety  and  lives  of  kindred  into  the  hands 
of  the  pitiless  Inquisitor.  Has  dishonor 
ever  exceeded  this ! "  ( King. ) 


Facts  and  References 207 

"The  accused  when  summoned,  para- 
lyzed with  fear,  appeared  without  protest, 
and  without  knowledge  of  charge  or  testi- 
mony, for  secret  trial,  and  without  coun- 
sel with  family  or  friends,  or  knowledge  of 
the  process  of  his  trial,  except  as  its  steps 
were  punctuated  with  torture.  Appeal  to 
Eome  could  only  be  made  through  the  In- 
quisitor himself."  (King.) 

"The  Inquisition  inflicted  as  penalties: 
(To  be  accused  was  to  be  found  guilty  in 
nearly  every  case),  confiscation  of  prop- 
erty, which  was  divided  between  the  civil 
and  ecclesiastical  authorities ;  the  dungeon, 
the  galley,  the  lash,  the  brand  of  infamy 
upon  the  subject  and  his  descendants,  and 
death  in  various  forms — the  most  popular 
being  the  auto-da-fe,  where  after  a  long 
and  ostentatious  celebration,  the  victims 
were  burned  as  an  exhibition." 

"It  is  asserted  by  high  authority  that 
the  official  records  show  that  during  the 
eighteen  years  of  the  Inquisitor-General 
Torquemada,  10,220  victims  were  burned, 
6,860  condemned  and  burned  in  effigy  as 
absent  or  dead,  and  97,321  subjected  to 
penalties  less  than  death."  (King.) 


208 The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

"When  Philip  II  sent  Alva  to  the  Nether- 
lands and  established  "The  Council  of 
Troubles,"  he  sent  10,000  armed  men  and 
2,000  prostitutes  as  a  reinforcement  to  the 
Inquisition. 

Motley  says  (King) :  "The  whole  coun- 
try became  a  charnel  house ;  the  death  bell 
tolled  hourly  in  every  village.  Columns 
and  stakes  in  every  street,  the  doors  of 
private  houses,  the  fences  in  the  fields, 
were  laden  with  human  carcasses,  stran- 
gled, burned,  beheaded.  *  *  *  Alva 
after  six  years*  rule  boasted  that  in  addi- 
tion to  those  slain  in  battle  and  massacred 
he  had  executed  18,600  people,  and  in  a 
single  massacre  mercilessly  slaughtered 
7,000  patriots."  (King.) 

* '  This  was  good  Catholic  politics  in  1567, 
and  Rome  has  never  repented  nor  repudi- 
ated it.  She  would  do  it  all  again  today 
if  she  had  sufficient  political  power.  She 
is  '  Infallible '  and  cannot  err. ' '  ( King. ) 

"Spain  has  always  been  an  extermin- 
ator among  the  nations,  and  never  a  civil- 
izer.  The  Spaniard  is  cruel  and  conscience- 
less, but  very  religious."  (King.) 

"Latin  civilization  of  the  medieval  and 


Facts  and  References 209 

modern  centuries  is  the  product  of  the 
power  and  teachings  not  of  Imperial 
Borne,  but  of  Imperial  Papal  Borne." 

Under  Weyler  in  Cuba  from  1895  to 
1898  the  reconcentrado  system  was  en- 
forced. By  it  over  500,000  non-combat- 
ants, largely  women  and  children  and  aged 
people,  were  corralled  in  the  towns,  hedged 
in  by  bayonets,  until  over  400,000  were 
starved  to  death.  Where  was  the  Pope's 
protest  against  this  Catholic  General's 
"tactics"? 

Dr.  Lyman  Abbott  said  regarding  the 
Cuban  War:  "I  believe  that  the  war  just 
ended  is  the  inevitable  outcome  of  the  an- 
tagonisms of  three  centuries  here,  and  for 
eighteen  centuries  in  the  world;  the  con- 
flict between  the  notion  of  government  em- 
bodied in  the  public  school  and  the  govern- 
ment embodied  in  the  Inquisition/' 

Bemember  that  Politico-Clericalism,  ex- 
pressed by  the  Inquisition  and  fortified  by 
the  Confessional,  is  the  genius  of  the  Latin 
race;  and  this  genius  has  over  3,000,000 
voters  in  America  today  to  be  voted  solid 
by  this  same  genius  to  destroy  our  public 
schools  and  "make  America  Catholic." 


210 The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

Shall  we  curb  her  power  and  pull  her  fangs 
now,  or  wait  till  in  her  snarling  hatred  she 
involves  us  in  civil  war? 

Satolli,  the  Papal  Apostolic  Delegate 
who  visited  our  country  not  long  ago,  was 
here  for  the  "  purpose  of  temporarily  lull- 
ing the  storm  of  indignation  which  was 
raging  against  his  Church  authorities  be- 
cause of  their  hostility  to  the  public 
schools,  and  to  compose  the  differences 
existing  in  the  American  Hierarchy  on  the 
question  of  methods  in  securing  public 
funds  for  parochial  schools." 

"The  greatest  triumphs  in  late  years  of 
Borne  as  a  political  power  have  been  wit- 
nessed in  this  republic,  by  its  influence 
over  executives  in  municipalities,  states, 
and  nation,  by  its  control  of  legislation, 
by  its  drafts  on  public  treasuries,  by  its 
control  of  the  balance  of  power  in  the  cen- 
ters of  population  all  over  the  nation  as 
the  result  of  the  solidarity  of  its  votes. 
And  yet  men  claiming  to  be  intelligent  con- 
tinue to  assert  that  America  has  nothing 
to  fear  from  Komanism.  This  fact  empha- 
sizes the  peril.'*  (King.) 

"How  is  it  that  the  secular  papers  will 


Facts  and  References  211 

discuss  and  criticise  the  theology  and  in- 
ternal economy  of  Presbyterianism,  Meth- 
odism, Episcopalianism  and  other  Protest- 
ant Churches,  and  uniformly  deal  so  gently 
with  Eomanism  f  The  reader  knows  why. ' ' 

"  Romanists  claim  and  exercise  the  right 
in  this  country,  while  enjoying  the  liberties 
so  dearly  bought  for  them,  to  criticise  and 
undermine  our  fundamental  institutions, 
but  chafe  and  protest  against  any  criticism 
of  their  methods  and  efforts.'* 

"  Knowing  perfectly  well  the  value  of 
cunning  accompanied  by  fair  pretenses, 
the  Church  of  Eome  carefully  conceals  her 
methods,  and  in  a  measure  disclaims  any 
movement  against  our  institutions.  But 
this  only  serves  to  increase  the  danger.1' 

' '  Professor  S.  F.  Morse  says  that  Lafay- 
ette, who  was  a  Eomanist  by  birth  and  edu- 
cation, said  to  him,  and  again  and  again 
repeated  the  warning:  'If  the  liberties  of 
the  American  people  are  ever  destroyed, 
they  will  fall  by  the  hands  of  the  Eoman 
clergy'." 

"Eomanism  in  history  has  been  one  con- 
tinuous politico-ecclesiastical  conspiracy 
against  the  liberties  of  mankind.  It  has 


212 The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

never  deviated  from  its  purpose  to  con- 
quer nations  and  subject  rulers  to  its 
sway."  (King.) 

"The  darkest  deeds  of  rascality  which 
have  cursed  the  history  of  civilization  for 
four  centuries  have  revealed  the  figure  of 
a  Jesuit  in  the  background."  The  Order 
"has  been  expelled  from  the  territory  of 
European  governments  over  seventy  times. 
It  has  espoused  the  cause  of  nations,  and 
ruined  them.  It  has  planned  conspiracies, 
plotted  against  sovereigns,  overthrown 
cabinets,  kindled  insurrections,  incited 
wars,  promoted  persecutions  and  procured 
assassinations." 

Thomas  Carlyle  said:  "For  some  two 
centuries  the  genius  of  mankind  has  been 
dominated  by  the  gospel  of  Ignatius  Loy- 
ola, the  poison  fountain  from  which  these 
rivers  of  bitterness  that  now  submerge  the 
world  have  flowed.  Long  now  have  the 
English  people  understood  that  Jesuits 
proper  are  servants  to  the  Prince  of  Dark- 
ness." 

The  Mafia  and  the  Jesuits  spring  from 
the  same  soil  and  are  near  neighbors.  The 
Mafia  have  the  grace  not  to  sophisticate 


Facts  and  References 213 

religion.  Possibly  they  may  have  killed 
more  people  by  assassination,  but  they 
have  depraved  and  demoralized  commun- 
ities less. 

"Moreover,  we  declare,  say,  define  and 
pronounce,  that  every  human  being  should 
be  subject  to  the  Roman  Pontiff,  to  be  an 
article  of  necessary  faith."  (Boniface 
VIII.) 

"The  Catholic  Church  is  the  sole  living 
and  enduring  Christian  authority.  She 
has  the  power  to  speak ;  she  has  an  organ- 
ization by  which  her  laws  may  be  enforced. 
*  *  *  Our  work  is  to  make  America 
Catholic.  Our  cry  shall  be,  'God  wills  it', 
and  our  hearts  shall  leap  with  Crusader 
enthusiasm. "  (Archbishop  Ireland,  1889.) 

Mr.  Froude  says:  "So  much  only  can 
be  foretold  with  certainty,  that  if  the  Cath- 
olic Church  anywhere  recovers  her  ascend- 
ency, she  will  again  exhibit  the  detestable 
features  which  have  invariably  attended 
her  supremacy." 

"Undoubtedly  it  is  the  intention  of  the 
Pope  to  possess  this  country.  In  this  in- 
tention he  is  aided  by  the  Jesuits  and  all 


214 The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

the  Catholic  prelates  and  priests."     (Dr. 
Brownson.) 

1  'The  Pope  demands  for  himself  the 
right  to  determine  the  province  of  his  own 
rights,  and  has  so  denned  it  in  formal 
documents  as  to  warrant  any  and  every 
invasion  of  the  civil  sphere. 
Against  such  definition  of  his  own  power 
there  is  no  appeal  to  reason,  that  is  ra- 
tionalism ;  nor  to  Scripture,  that  is  heresy ; 
nor  to  history,  that  is  private  judgment. ' ' 
(Gladstone.) 

* '  I  acknowledge  no  civil  power ;  I  am  the 
subject  of  no  prince;  and  I  claim  more 
than  this — I  claim  to  be  the  supreme  Judge 
and  director  of  the  consciences  of  men — 
of  the  peasant  that  tills  the  field,  and  of 
the  prince  that  sits  upon  the  throne;  of 
the  household  that  lives  in  the  shade  of 
privacy,  and  the  legislator  that  makes  laws 
for  kingdoms ;  I  am  the  sole  last  supreme 
Judge  of  what  is  right  and  wrong. ' '  ( Car- 
dinal Manning,  speaking  for  the  Pope  at 
Kensington,  October  9,  1864.) 

Such  a  case  of  big-head,  colossal  cheek, 
arrogance,  presumption  and  egotism  can 


Facts  and  References 215 

nowhere  else  be  found  outside  of  asylums 
for  the  imbecile  or  the  insane. 

When  His  Holiness  has  amassed  a  little 
more  wealth,  gathered  a  few  more  pauper 
votes,  and  a  little  further  subsidized  or 
boycotted  the  public  press,  we  shall  be 
treated  to  this  same  thing  in  America ;  and 
it  always  carries  a  sting  like  a  scorpion, 
and  sneaks  in  the  grass  till  it  can  strike 
with  security  or  imagined  safety. 

"It  is  wrong  *  under  pretense 

of  civil  rights  to  transgress  the  laws  of  the 
Church.  *  *  *  But  if  the  laws  of  the 
State  are  openly  at  variance  with  the  laws 
of  God — if  they  inflict  injury  upon  the 
Church  *  *  *  or  set  at  naught  the  au- 
thority of  Jesus  Christ  which  is  vested  in 
the  Supreme  Pontiff,  then  indeed  it  be- 
comes a  duty  to  resist  them,  a  sin  to  render 
obedience."  (Leo  XIII,  1890,  What  is 
Treason?) 

It  is  a  fine  piece  of  sophistry  for  every 
Catholic  to  accept  and  obey  the  above,  and 
remain  "loyal"  to  this,  or  any  other  gov- 
ernment. Of  course,  the  government  alone 
is  to  blame,  and  Clericalism  now  expects  it 
to  kiss  the  hem  of  the  Supreme  Pontiff's 


216 The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

petticoat,  and  be  thankful  for  permission 
to  exist  at  all. 

"  Every  Catholic  should  rigidly  adhere 
to  the  teachings  of  the  Roman  Pontiff, 
especially  in  the  matter  of  modern  liberty, 
which  already,  under  the  semblance  of  hon- 
esty of  purpose,  leads  to  destruction.  We 
exhort  all  Catholics  to  devote  careful  at- 
tention to  public  matters,  and  take  part  in 
all  municipal  affairs  and  elections  and  all 
public  services,  meetings  and  gatherings. 
All  Catholics  must  make  themselves  felt  as 
active  elements  in  daily  political  life  in 
countries  where  they  live.  All  Catholics 
should  exert  their  power  to  cause  the  Con- 
stitutions of  States  to  be  modeled  on  the 
principles  of  the  true  Church. "  (Leo  XIII, 
Nov.  7, 1885.) 

Has  his  Holiness  no  designs  on  America ; 
none  at  all? 


THE  POPE'S  POLITICS. 


"The  State  has  not  the  right  to  leave 
every  man  free  to  profess  and  embrace 
whatever  religion  he  shall  deem  true." 

"It  has  not  the  right  to  enact  that  the 
ecclesiastical  power  shall  require  the  per- 
mission of  the  civil  power  in  order  to  the 
exercise  of  its  authority." 

The  Church  "has  the  right  to  require 
the  State  not  to  leave  every  man  free  to 
profess  his  own  religion." 

' '  She  has  the  right  to  exercise  her  power 
without  the  permission  of  the  State." 

"She  has  the  right  of  perpetuating  the 
union  of  Church  and  State." 

"She  has  the  right  to  require  that  the 
Catholic  religion  shall  be  the  only  religion 
of  the  State  to  the  exclusion  of  all  others." 

1 '  She  has  the  right  to  prevent  the  State 
from  granting  the  public  exercise  of  their 
own  worship  to  persons  immigrating  into 
it" 

217 


218     The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

"She  has  the  power  of  requiring  the 
State  not  to  permit  free  expression  of 
opinion. ' ' 

We  might  care  no  more  what  the  Pope's 
politics  in  Borne  might  be  than  that  of  the 
Pharaohs  in  ancient  Egypt,  but  when 
with  a  solid  vote  of  over  3,000,000  he  pro- 
poses to  graft  it  on  Free  America  we  are 
bound  to  care,  and  we  shall  presently  be 
compelled  to  take  notice.  He  is  gaining 
power  in  America  every  day  by  graft,  se- 
crecy, cunning,  boycott  and  organization, 
all  the  tricks  of  the  wily  politician,  and 
when  we  are  reluctantly  compelled  to  take 
notice,  civil  war  will  be  the  logical  result. 
Eeally,  "Is  there  no  danger"? 

"A  religious  sect  wherein  the  conscience 
of  the  individual  is  subject  to  ecclesiastical 
authority  is  a  dangerous  factor  in  politics ; 
the  non-control  of  conscience  leaves  noth- 
ing in  the  individual  to  which  argument 
can  be  addressed."  (King.) 

11  Roman  Catholicism,  whenever  acting 
as  a  politico-ecclesiastical  organization, 
purposes  to  vote  as  a  unit."  (King.) 

* '  Modern  constitutional  government,  lib- 
erty of  conscience,  religious  liberty,  free 


The  Pope's  Politics 219 

speech,  free  press,  free  popular  education, 
equality  of  all  before  the  law,  the  imperial 
liberties  which  give  character  to  free  gov- 
ernments and  institutions,  are  tolerated 
from  necessity,  and  never  conceded  as 
rights  by  Eoman  Catholic  ecclesiastical 
power.'*  (King.) 

Speaking  of  the  Jesuits  in  Mexico,  Dr. 
William  Butler  says:  "This  hateful  so- 
ciety, whose  machinations  give  the  relig- 
ious world  no  rest,  prepared  the  plan 
which  God  reversed  in  Mexico.  Standing 
back  in  the  shadow,  they  work  unseen  day 
and  night  for  their  purposes.  By  the  use 
of  the  confessional  they  can  lay  their 
hands  on  every  secret  of  social  and  per- 
sonal life  in  every  family  where  they  have 
a  representative  of  their  religion.  And  as 
to  politics  and  public  men  no  power  in  this 
world  is  so  debasing  as  that  of  Jesuitism. ' ' 

"Mexico,  instead  of  being— as  she  was 
twenty-five  years  ago — the  most  priest- 
ridden  country  on  earth,  has  worked  her 
way  up  by  the  help  of  God  and  the  valor 
of  her  sons,  to  the  position  of  the  most 
free  of  all  Roman  Catholic  lands,  while  her 
existing  laws  now  sanction  no  monastery 


220 The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

or  nunnery,  Sisters  of  Charity  or  Jesuits 
within  her  bounds. ' '  (King. ) 

Mexico  has  journeyed  from  Rome  to 
Freedom,  thanks  to  the  wisdom  and  power 
of  Freemasonry.  We  in  America  are  going 
the  other  way,  and  the  trials  of  Sisyphus 
were  easy  compared  with  what  our  return 
journey  will  be  if  we  put  it  off  much 
longer. 

If  asked  to  name  the  strongest  resource 
and  the  greatest  power  of  Rome  in  Amer- 
ica today,  I  should  unhesitatingly  declare 
it  to  be  its  Jesuitical  hold  upon  the  public 
press.  It  realized  this  power,  planned  it, 
bought  it,  and  now  not  a  warning  note 
from  the  press  is  sounded  as  the  black- 
robed  army  goes  marching  on,  chuckling 
at  their  own  cunning  and  our  folly  and 
supineness.  We  are  "too  easy." 

The  historian  Froude,  writing  on 
"What  a  Catholic  majority  could  do  in 
America,"  says:  "It  is  only  as  long  as 
they  are  a  small  minority,  that  they  can 
be  loyal  subjects  under  such  a  Constitution 
as  the  American.  As  their  numbers  grow 
they  will  assert  their  principles  more  and 
more.  Give  them  the  power  and  the  Con- 


The  Pope's  Politics 221 

stitution  will  be  gone.  A  Catholic  major- 
ity, under  spiritual  direction,  will  forbid 
liberty  of  worship  and  will  try  to  forbid 
liberty  of  conscience.  It  will  control  edu- 
cation ;  it  will  put  the  press  under  surveil- 
lance (already  done) ;  it  will  punish  oppo- 
sition with  excommunication,  and  excom- 
munication will  be  attended  with  civil  dis- 
abilities." "Mr.  Froude  speaks  like  a 
seer."  (King.) 

Archbishop  Ireland  has  at  times  become 
eloquent,  even  emotional,  over  our  Free  In- 
stitutions. In  1890  he  said:  "I  am  the 
friend  and  advocate  of  the  state  school. 
*  *  *  I  protest  with  all  the  energy  of 
my  soul  against  the  charge  that  the  schools 
of  the  nation  have  their  enemies  among 
the  Catholics." 

That  sounds  nice,  but  wait  a  little.  In  a 
book  written  two  years  before  by  Eev. 
Michael  Muller,  appears  the  following  en- 
dorsement over  the  signature  of ' '  John  Ire- 
land, Pastor  of  Cathedral,  St.  Paul, 
Minn. : 

"Your  book  is  so  well-timed,  its  doc- 
trines so  correct  and  precise,  the  argu- 
ments you  employ  so  cogent,  that  I  am 


222 The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

confident  it  will,  under  God's  Providence, 
do  a  great  deal  of  good.  May  your  book 
be  found  especially  in  the  hands  of  every 
priest  in  the  land." 

Now  listen  to  Eev.  Muller,  as  endorsed 
by  the  Archbishop: 

"Were  you  given  to  see  a  devil  and  the 
soul  of  an  infidel  at  the  same  time,  you 
would  find  the  sight  of  the  devil  more  bear- 
able than  that  of  the  infidel. 
Now  the  Public  School  system  was  invent- 
ed and  introduced  into  this  country  to  turn 
the  rising  generation  into  men  of  the  above 
description. 

"We  may,  then,  confidently  assert  that 
the  defenders  and  upholders  of  Public 
Schools  without  religion  seek  in  America, 
as  well  as  in  Europe,  to  turn  the  people 
into  refined  Pagans." 

"The  object,  then,  of  these  Godless  ir- 
religious Public  Schools  is  to  spread  among 
the  people  the  worst  of  religions,  the  one 
religion,  the  religion  which  pleases  most 
hardened  adulterers  and  criminals — the  re- 
ligion of  irrational  animals." 

"The  moral  character  of  the  Public 
Schools  in  many  of  our  cities  has  sunk  so 


The  Pope's  Politics 223 

low,  that  even  courtesans  have  disguised 
themselves  as  schoolgirls  in  order  the  more 
surely  to  ply  their  foul  vocation. ' ' 

Possibly  the  Eev.  Muller  got  his  statis- 
tics from  the  "Godless  Public  Schools"  in 
Chicago  and  Boston,  where  more  than  sev- 
enty-five per  cent  of  the  teachers  are  Cath- 
olics. Father  Crowley's  specific  charges 
against  Parochial  Schools  and  some  of 
their  teachers  ought  also  to  be  taken  into 
account. 

The  reader  can  now  judge  what  an  adept 
at  juggling  with  words  is  Archbishop  Ire- 
land. He  carries  water  on  both  shoulders 
without  a  quiver. 

Mr.  King  still  further  follows  the  record 
of  Archbishop  Ireland  on  the  school  ques- 
tion, but  we  have  not  room  for  more  here. 
The  above  is  sufficient  as  an  object  lesson. 
Is  the  orthodox  Catholic  truly  the  * '  Friend 
of  our  Godless  Public  Schools!" 

Now  listen  to  Eev.  Daniel  Cunnion,  on 
December  12,  1897,  in  St.  Patrick's  Ca- 
thedral in  New  York,  to  the  New  York 
Union  of  Catholic  Young  Men's  Societies: 

"It  is  strange  that  millions  of  Catholics 
can  be  governed  by  men  who  hate  the  name 


224 The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

of  Catholic.  It  almost  seems  as  if  the 
struggles  of  past  centuries  had  been  in 
vain.  In  this  country,  where  democracy  is 
on  trial,  we  must  not  lose  sight  of  the  fact 
that  history  may  repeat  itself.  We  aim  in 
our  national  union  to  keep  young  men  in  a 
novitiate  whence  they  can  be  graduated 
into  those  movements  which  are  fast  be- 
coming the  strong  arm  of  Mother  Church. 
There  should  be  a  society  in  every  parish. 
It  is  thus  that  Mother  Church  hopes  to 
make  these  United  States  entirely  Catho- 
lic/' 

Not  by  the  number  of  voters,  mind  you, 
but  by  a  solid  Catholic  vote  holding  thus 
the  balance  of  power.  They  hold  it  large- 
ly today,  and  America  is  fast  becoming  as 
Catholic  as  Italy,  even  more  so  than 
France.  When  will  Americans  awaken  to 
a  knowledge  of  the  volcano  over  which 
they  sleep?  An  eruption  is  liable  to  oc- 
cur any  day.  The  rumbling  is  as  plain 
and  as  ominous  as  at  Vesuvius,  and  still  we 
sleep  and  dream  of  no  danger. 

"Bossism  never  entered  American  poli- 
tics until  politico-ecclesiastical  Romanism 
showed  it  how  to  move  and  set  its  pace. 


The  Pope's  Politics 225 

The  inventors  of  the  Inquisition  were  the 
inventors  of  Bossism  as  well  as  of  the  boy- 
cott, and  the  same  principle  is  involved  in 
both  institutions.*'  Catholics  can  be  and 
are  massed  and  voted  solid,  and  this  gave 
the  example  and  set  the  pace.  It  is  one  of 
our  Plagues  from  Eome. 

If  the  mass  of  the  American  people  ac- 
tually realized  what  is  being  done  in  their 
midst,  the  motives  and  methods  used  to 
steal  away  their  liberties,  they  would  arise 
en  masse  and  scourge  the  representatives 
of  Borne  back  to  the  Holy  City;  and  yet 
they  have  been  warned  openly,  again  and 
again. 

I  would  like  to  quote  in  full  Mr.  King's 
masterly  treatment  of  the  cry — "No 
peril!"  One  paragraph  must  suffice: 

"No  peril!  When  a  Eoman  Archbishop 
announces  that  he  and  his  brethren  hold 
the  balance  of  power  in  Canada,  and 
through  it  have  controlled  the  elections, 
and  asserts  that,  by  a  similar  use  of  the 
balance  of  power,  Presidential  elections 
will  be  decided  in  this  Bepublic." 

The  foregoing  quotations  are  gathered 
almost  at  random  from  * '  Facing  the  Twen- 


226 The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

tieth  Century,"  a  book  published  by  Jen- 
nings &  Pye,  of  Cincinnati,  in  1899.  It 
is  written  by  James  M.  King,  and  deserves 
for  every  reason  to  rank  side  by  side  with 
our  Declaration  of  Independence  as  a  con- 
servator of  all  our  Free  Institutions.  It 
is  scholarly,  dispassionate  and  exhaustive; 
and  yet  I  have  seen  no  reference  to  it  in 
"the  conservators  of  our  Liberties,"  the 
daily  press.  I  can  imagine  and  indulge 
at  least  a  faint  hope  that  the  foregoing 
quotations  may  incite  Brother  Masons  to 
read  carefully  Mr.  King's  book. 

I  might  quote  from  current  events  and 
newspaper  notices  almost  innumerable  to 
show  how  stealthily,  rapidly  and  securely 
this  unholy  Crusade  against  all  our  Free 
Institutions  is  being  pushed  in  every  direc- 
tion. If  Masons  will  take  notice,  they  will 
find  evidence  in  abundance  to  substantiate 
every  claim  herein  made. 

Today,  as  I  write,  a  notice  in  the  daily 
press  declares  that  the  Pope  has  just  pro- 
hibited a  procession  of  Cardinals  for  fear 
they  would  be  insulted  in  a  Catholic  coun- 
try and  in  the  shadow  of  the  Vatican. 
Something  must  be  getting  wrong  with 


The  Pope's  Politics 227 

these  good  Catholics  when  they  forget  to 
reverence  these  political  despots  in  petti- 
coats, bedecked  with  jewels.  God's  vice- 
regents  seem  hardly  appreciated  by  those 
who  see  them  most  and  know  them  best. 

They  may  presently  seek  asylum  in  this 
free  country  and  look  after  the  morals  of 
the  rising  generation  here!  The  Mafia, 
with  which  New  York  and  other  cities  are 
just  now  concerned,  ought  to  be  sufficient 
without  a  further  scourge  from  the  Genius 
of  politico-ecclesiastical  Romanism,  which 
begot  the  Mafia,  their  ignorant  and  bun- 
gling imitators. 


"The  secret  of  the  diabolical 
possibilities  of  'Holy  Office'  (in- 
quisition) was  found  in  the  Con- 
fessional, where  the  more  honest 
and  pious  the  believer,  the  more 
valuable  the  testimony  he  would  be 
liable  to  give  to  the  unscrupulous 
priest  who  stood  between  his  soul 
and  his  God;  and,  prostituting  his 
sacred  office,  the  priest  passed  the 
secrets  of  the  soul  and  the  safety 
and  lives  of  kindred  into  the  hands 
of  the  pitiless  Inquisitor.  Has  dis- 
honor ever  exceeded  this?" — King. 


THE  REAL  ISSUES. 


America  today  is  not  only  facing  the 
most  momentous  issue  in  her  history,  but 
the  issue  is  one  that  cannot  possibly  be 
long  evaded.  It  is  imminent.  This  issue 
strikes  at  the  very  roots  of  the  Republic 
and  assails  the  principles  upon  which  this 
Government  was  founded. 

If  an  army  of  ironclads  manned  by  a 
foreign  government  threatened  our  sea- 
board a  cry  of  alarm  would  be  heard  far 
and  near  and  vigilance  and  resentment 
would  be  found  on  every  hand.  If  a  regi- 
ment of  soldiers  had  crossed  our  northern 
boundary  our  government  and  people 
would  not  be  long  in  ascertaining  its  intent 
and  destination,  and  unless  these  were 
speedily  and  clearly  defined  such  an  army 
would  meet  with  quick  and  stern  resist- 
ance. 

These  visible  intruders  would  be  "tin 

229 


230 The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

soldiers"  in  a  child's  play  as  compared 
with  the  foe  of  all  our  cherished  institu- 
tions. That  foe  is  not  only  already  in  our 
very  midst  and  secretly  and  surely  seek- 
ing the  Nation's  life,  but  is  so  disguised  as 
to  deceive  the  great  majority  of  our  peo- 
ple and  excite  scarcely  a  protest. 

Indeed,  whenever  protest  is  made,  or  one 
attempts  clearly  to  define  the  danger,  he 
is  apt  to  be  met  with  incredulity,  or  be 
laughed  at  as  an  alarmist.  So  cunningly 
has  the  encroachment  of  the  enemy  been 
concealed  and  its  policy  disguised,  that  the 
paramount  danger  consists  in  the  cleverly 
fostered  impression  that  there  is  no  dan- 
ger at  all. 

It  will  be  shown  herein  that  nothing  else 
on  earth  could  possibly  so  strengthen  the 
hands  of  the  enemy  or  further  its  designs 
as  this  very  idea  and  impression  that  there 
is  no  danger.  This  is  the  keynote  of  the 
whole  policy  of  aggression  and  of  the  de- 
termination to  put  Free  America  into  its 
clutches  before  it  could  be  aware  of  what  is 
being  done. 

In  order  to  make  the  situation  clear  it 
should  be  distinctly  understood,  and  never 


The  Real  Issues 231 

for  a  moment  forgotten,  that  the  Roman 
Catholic  Church  so  far  as  it  represents  a 
religion  in  America,  with  its  mass,  its 
mummeries,  and  its  ceremonies  (much  of 
which  is  conducted  in  a  dead  language),  is 
not  directly  concerned  in  the  foreign  inva- 
sion herein  referred  to.  Many  of  its  priests 
and  the  majority  of  its  laity  are  not  only 
wholly  ignorant  of  the  real  issue,  but  many 
of  them  would  both  deny  and  repudiate  it 
altogether  were  they  intelligently  informed 
of  what  is  designed  and  now  being  con- 
summated. 

Notwithstanding  all  this,  the  whole  Cath- 
olic following  is  exploited  and  made  use  of 
to  further  the  design.  Papal  "Infallibil- 
ity" and  the  dogma  of  blind,  unquestion- 
ing obedience  not  only  secure  this  co-oper- 
ation, but  cover  the  secret  designs.  The 
rank  and  file  are  never  taken  into  confi- 
dence. The  leaders  in  the  Crusade  realize 
all  this,  planned  for  it,  and  count  on  it  se- 
curely. 

But  there  is  another  and  a  very  different 
feature  of  Roman  Catholicism.  That  is  the 
Hierarchy  at  Rome.  This  clerical  organ- 
ization is  Political  to  the  last  degree,  with 


232 The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

all  that  the  term  implies,  and  "religious" 
in  no  sense  whatever.  In  the  "union  of 
Church  and  State, ' '  it  stands  for  the  State. 
This  has  long  been  claimed.  The  claim 
has  been  fought  out  and  is  now  lost  in 
France,  Italy  and  other  places  on  the  Con- 
tinent. 

Against  this  union  of  Church  and  State 
the  very  origin  and  foundation  of  this  gov- 
ernment stands  as  a  protest.  Such  union 
having  been  undermined  in  the  Old  World 
and  found  everywhere  there  to  be  on  the 
wane  in  spite  of  monarchical  government, 
the  Pope,  "playing  the  baby  act"  as  a 
"prisoner  in  the  Vatican,"  to  excite  sym- 
pathy for  his  waning  cause,  now  turns  to 
Free  America  and  takes  advantage  of 
every  opportunity  which  freedom  here  of- 
fers secretly,  cunningly,  and  surreptitious- 
ly to  further  his  claims  here. 

The  Pope  therefore  is  not  merely  the 
head  of  the  Church  and  "God's  Vicege- 
rent" in  all  religious  matters.  But  as  a 
foreign  despot  filled  with  political  ambition, 
with  the  College  of  Cardinals  as  his  Min- 
isters of  State  and  the  Order  of  Jesuits 
as  his  secret  spies  and  unscrupulous  emis- 


The  B,eal  Issues 233 

saries,  he  dictates  the  campaign  of  political 
conquest  of  America  from  his  politico-re- 
ligious throne  at  Rome.  He  has  declared 
in  so  many  words  his  intention  to  make 
America  Catholic.  He  has  declared  that 
he  will  make  the  Catholic  religion  the  reli- 
gion of  the  State  to  the  exclusion  of  all 
other  religions  and  that  the  State  shall 
have  no  voice,  as  such,  in  dictating  what 
the  policy  of  the  Pope,  as  the  one  supreme 
ruler  of  Church  and  State  united,  shall  be. 

To  safeguard  this  double-headed  abom- 
ination, if  any  one  protests  against  any 
political  feature  of  the  combination,  he  is 
at  once  charged  with  "attacking  religion!" 
Religion  is  made  a  shield  as  it  is  a  disguise 
under  which  any  and  every  form  of  politi- 
cal ambition  is  fostered  and  trickery  prac- 
ticed. 

Any  opposition  within  the  Church  is 
"heresy"  and  " blasphemy!"  Any  pro- 
test from  outside  is  said  to  come  only  from 
" atheists"  who  deny  Christ  and  are  try- 
ing to  destroy  religion.  This  has  been  the 
tactics  in  the  recent  struggle  in  France, 
but  the  disguise  and  the  trick  have  there 
failed  to  arrest  the  march  of  Freedom. 


234  The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

It  is  thus  that  this  Italian  Autocrat, 
with  millions  of  followers  in  this  country 
pledged  to  a  blind  and  unquestioning  obed- 
ience, carries  on  his  war  of  conquest  right 
in  our  midst ;  and  we  are  either  so  blind  as 
not  to  see  it,  or  so  cowardly  as  not  to  pro- 
test or  oppose  it. 

The  distance  of  this  "Holy  Father" 
from  American  soil  and  the  glamor  of  his 
religious  office  surround  him  with  a  halo 
of  enchantment  and  an  odor  of  sanctity. 
He  allows  people  from  this  side  the  ocean 
to  "kiss  his  ring  "and  prostrate  themselves 
before  him  as  the  "Vicar  of  Christ."  All 
the  while  his  political  designs  on  America 
are  openly  declared  and  his  methods  and 
the  political  trickery  of  his  emissaries  are 
cunningly  concealed.  Such  a  colossal  hum- 
bug as  here  faces  the  Twentieth  Century  is 
not  new  to  the  world,  but  it  has  never  had 
an  existence  in  modern  times  outside  Rom- 
an-Catholic Politico-Clericalism  and  the 
Greek  Church. 

This  Crusade  for  the  express  purpose  of 
making  America  Catholic  is  now  and  has 
been  for  years  carried  on  here  in  every  di- 
rection and  in  many  ways. 


The  Real  Issues 235 

The  public  press  and  many  of  the  lead- 
ing dailies  are  subsidized,  edited,  or  con- 
trolled by  threatened  boycott  to  keep  every 
sign  of  what  the  enemy  is  doing  from 
reaching  the  people.  News  from  Rome, 
notices  of  Catholic  gatherings,  and  every- 
thing favorable  to  Rome  and  its  policy 
gain  ready  entrance  to  the  secular  press. 
But  let  some  innocent  Brother  Mason  offer 
an  article  revealing  the  plotting  of  the 
autocrat  occupying  the  Chair  of  St.  Peter, 
or  anything  deemed  inimical  to  the  inter- 
ests of  the  Catholic  Crusade  in  this  coun- 
try, and  he  will  be  politely  informed  by  the 
party  on  the  lookout  who  has  the  say,  that 
they  ' '  cannot  make  use  of  it. ' '  Try  it  and 
see!  I  HAVE!! 

Having  captured  the  sentinel  (the  press) 
and  bribed  or  threatened  him  into  silence 
so  as  to  prevent  the  sounding  of  any 
alarm,  he  pipes  the  praises  of  Clericalism 
and  works  solely  in  its  interests. 

In  the  city  of  Chicago  alone  $50,000,000 
of  untaxed  real  estate  is  held  by  the  repre- 
sentatives of  the  Church,  and  it  will  soon 
become,  if  it  is  not  already,  the  richest 
corporation  in  America,  paying  no  taxes 


236 The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

and  owned  and  managed  by  an  Italian  liv- 
ing in  Borne.  What  is  true  in  Chicago  is 
rapidly  taking  place  in  every  other  large 
city  in  America. 

Our  Free  Public  Schools  are  often  de- 
clared to  be  the  bulwark  of  our  Liberties 
and  the  hope  of  the  future.  The  Pope  and 
his  representatives  are  everywhere  and  at 
all  times  the  avowed  enemies  of  our  Free 
Schools  and  would  replace  them  with  the 
Parochial  School,  ostensibly  in  the  name  of 
their  religion. 

They  called  them  "the  ungodly  Public 
Schools. "  How  does  it  happen  that  in  the 
cities  of  Chicago  and  Boston  more  than 
seventy-five  per  cent  of  the  teachers  in  the 
public  schools  are  Catholics?  We  employ 
as  teachers  those  who  are  enemies  of  the 
schools  themselves.  The  man  who  sees  no 
design,  no  policy  of  the  man  in  Eome  and 
the  Jesuit  in  this,  would  stumble  over  the 
problem  of  how  many  two  and  two  make. 

Now,  to  this  condition  of  the  secular 
press  and  the  public  schools  add  the  graft 
with  politicians  and  the  Boss.  Add  also 
the  pressure  everywhere  used  to  get  Cath- 
olics into  office  by  an  unscrupulous,  secret, 


The  Real  Issues 237 

tireless  organization.  Add  the  further  fact 
that  this  organization  is  governed  by  one 
head,  so  that  it  can  focus  this  immense 
influence  instantly  at  one  point ;  and  we  get 
a  further  picture  of  the  present  Crusade 
against  America  and  everything  American. 

There  are  undoubtedly  more  than  three 
million  Catholic  voters  in  this  country. 
The  exact  number  is  not  here  of  conse- 
quence. The  number,  however,  becomes  of 
consequence  when  the  votes  are  counted  in 
an  election  where  the  Catholics  are  found 
almost  to  a  man  on  one  side  and  voting 
blindly  in  the  interests  of  the  Catholic 
Crusade  at  the  dictation  of  the  Clerics. 
Our  boasted  right  of  suffrage  thus  becomes 
the  greatest  menace  to  all  other  rights  of 
a  free  people. 

Add  to  all  this  the  emigration  to  this 
country  of  over  a  million  a  year  from  the 
lowest  classes  in  Europe,  the  majority  of 
whom  are  Catholics  and  so  helping  to  in- 
crease this  army  of  blind  obedience  and 
political  peril  (to  say  nothing  of  the  eco- 
nomic problem,  the  "Black  Hand,"  the 
real  genius  of  the  Latin  race  and  the  land 
of  the  "Holy  Father"),  and  the  picture  is 


238 The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

still  incomplete.  It  ought  to  be  enough, 
however,  to  serve  as  object  lessons,  even, 
to  an  infant  in  politics  and  economics. 

This  Crusade  under  the  disguise  of  reli- 
gion, in  the  name  of  Jesus,  and  by  direct 
"authority  of  God,"  is  political  and  eco- 
nomic, solely  and  absolutely.  There  is  not 
only  not  one  iota  of  true  religion  in  it  from 
beginning  to  end,  but  it  stands  for  the  re- 
verse. It  annuls  every  principle  that  by 
any  courtesy  could  be  called  religious.  It 
is  a  direct,  specific,  cunningly  planned  Po- 
litical Crusade.  Its  purpose  is  to  trans- 
form this  country  into  a  dependency  of  an 
Italian  Autocrat  who  has  already  sophisti- 
cated the  religion  of  Jesus  to  Egyptian 
Paganism,  and  now  lays  his  unholy  hands 
on  "Free  America"  with  the  avowed  pur- 
pose and  determination  to  do  for  all  our 
Liberties  here  what  Clericalism  has  long 
ago  accomplished  for  the  true  Christian 
Keligion.  Destroy  what  Jesus  stood  for, 
what  America  stands  for  today,  and  then 
— the  Deluge!! 

The  conditions  in  Russia  today  were 
made  possible  and  were  actually  necessi- 
tated by  the  union  of  Church  and  State  in 


The  Real  Issues 239 

the  person  of  the  Czar.  It  is  not  the  Polit- 
ical Autocrat,  but  the  Politico-Religious 
Dictator  that  has  kept  Russia  from  the 
light  of  the  Twentieth  Century.  The  day 
of  reckoning  there  has  come!  Are  wte 
Americans  so  foolish  as  to  invoke  the  same 
fate  in  the  light  of  the  Twentieth  Century  f 
Are  we  ready  to  allow  ourselves  to  be  ex- 
ploited by  secrecy,  cunning  and  fraud  in 
the  name  of  Religion? 

When  Clericalism  is  ready  to  assert  and 
use  its  power,  Freemasonry  will  be  its  first 
point  of  attack.  Masons  will  not  only  be 
compelled  to  fight  for  the  existence  of  the 
Order.  They  may  have  to  fight  also  for 
their  homes  and  their  lives.  In  other  sec- 
tions of  this  book  the  reason  for  this  en- 
mity against  Freemasonry  and  Masons  is 
made  clear. 

No  intelligent  Mason  need  ever  be  de- 
ceived by  the  pretenses  of  Clericalism. 
Were  it  possible  to  cut  this  political  tap- 
root of  Catholicism,  Masonry  would  be 
content  to  leave  it  to  its  beads,  its  mum- 
meries, and  its  superstitions.  Christianity 
it  is  not,  by  any  stretch  of  the  imagina- 
tion, but  paganism  pure  and  simple.  But 


240 The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

with  its  political  attachment  it  is  indeed 
the  Beast  of  the  Apocalypse,  and  an  abom- 
ination unequaled  in  the  history  of  man. 

Every  conscientious  individual  in  Amer- 
ica ought  to  protest  in  the  name  of  religion 
against  this  Crusade  and  all  that  it  repre- 
sents. The  single  claim  of  Clericalism  to 
be  the  true  and  only  representative  of  the 
religion  of  Jesus  (when  it  is  known  that 
Clericalism  is  everything  that  Jesus  was 
not  and  sophisticates  his  whole  teaching 
and  ministry),  ought  to  excite  an  intelli- 
gent protest  that  would  shake  this  old 
globe. 

But  when  behind  this  veil  of  hypocrisy 
there  lurks  an  organized,  aggressive,  secret 
and  cunning  political  ambition  that  aims 
to  reduce  a  free  people  to  the  despotism  of 
Eussia  and  make  possible  a  Torquemada 
as  a  double-headed  tyrant  on  earth  and 
"Vice-gerent  of  heaven," — where  is  the 
sufficient  protest  ? 

The  well-fed  and  complaisant  American 
citizen  is  likely  to  reply — "It  is  all  bosh. 
You  are  an  alarmist.  It  cannot  be  done." 
I  grant  you,  my  Brother,  that  it  cannot  be 
done  and  stay  done. 


The  Real  Issues 241 

Reference  has  already  been  made  to  the. 
Czar  and  the  present  conditions  in  Russia. 
In  America  today  we  have  the  so-called 
religious  organization  seeking  to  gain  suf- 
ficient political  power,  through  wealth,  of- 
fice and  voters,  to  unite  Church  and  State 
under  one  head.  In  Russia  we  have  the 
spectacle  of  a  strong,  autocratic,  political 
government,  thoroughly  entrenched  in 
every  way  and  despotic  to  the  last  degree, 
seizing  hold  of  the  religion  of  the  people. 

The  Little  Father,  as  head  and  dictator 
of  the  National  Church,  and  the  Czar  as 
the  Autocrat  of  the  State,  were  united 
about  the  year  1700  by  Peter  the  Great. 
By  forbidding  the  election  of  a  Patriarch 
of  Moscow,  and  then  waiting  twenty  years 
till  the  people  had  learned  to  do  without 
the  Patriarch,  a  Holy  Synod  was  appoint- 
ed by  the  Czar  over  which  he  has  ever 
since  presided.  This  Synod  is  merely  a 
figure-head  of  the  Czar. 

The  awakening  in  Russia  today  means 
nothing,  except  in  just  so  fast  and  so  far 
as  the  people  repudiate  the  Little  Father 
in  his  so-called  religious  office.  In  other 
words,  the  key  to  the  situation  in  Russia, 


242 The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

where  the  first  ray  of  National  Freedom 
has  resulted  in  a  great  awakening  among 
the  people,  is  the  separation  of  Church  and 
State.  This  coming  separation  is  already 
at  the  sacrifice  and  slaughter  of  thousands 
of  the  Russian  people,  but  in  spite  of  in- 
creased cruelties  and  all  the  barbarities  of 
despotism  the  separation  is  bound  to  be 
accomplished.  The  people  have  at  last 
found  the  key  to  the  situation,  and  nothing 
can  again  deceive  or  enslave  them.  Cost 
what  it  may  of  the  blood  of  the  people, 
cruelty  and  persecutions  will  only  intensify 
the  struggle  and  hasten  its  consummation, 
even  though  it  sweeps  every  Romanoff 
from  the  face  of  the  earth. 

Here  is  an  object  lesson  under  our  very 
eyes  and  in  this  the  Twentieth  Century. 
Despotism  in  Russia  is  powerless  to  pre- 
vent the  separation  of  Church  and  State, 
upon  which  alone  the  progress  of  Freedom 
and  National  Life  in  Russia  depend. 

We  in  America  are  at  the  other  end  of 
the  struggle.  A  foreign  Power  is  doing 
its  utmost  to  unite  Church  and  State  in 
America.  The  Political  Czar  in  Russia 
seized  religious  authority,  and  with  all  his 


The  Real  Issues 243 

power  and  despotism  he  had  to  wait  twen- 
ty years  for  the  accomplishment  of  the 
union,  even  in  '  *  darkest  Russia. ' ' 

In  .America  today  the  equally  autocratic 
and  despotic  religious  Czar  or  Pope  is  de- 
termined, by  undermining  our  liberties, 
amassing  wealth  and  dictating  votes,  to 
"make  America  Catholic,"  and  so  here 
unite  Church  and  State.  Can  it  be  accom- 
plished? No!  No  more  than  it  can  be 
longer  maintained  in  Russia. 

Read  the  history  of  Russia  for  the  past 
two  hundred  years  of  the  rule  of  this 
double-headed  Octopus,  and  you  have  a 
picture  of  what  it  will  mean  to  dislodge 
this  same  Octopus  in  America  after  it 
openly  shows  its  fangs  and  reveals  its 
power.  Its  power  and  sources  of  revenue 
are  becoming  as  thoroughly  intrenched  un- 
der our  form  of  government  as  they  were 
under  despotism  in  Russia.  The  titles  of 
the  Church  property  that  pays  no  taxes 
are  as  legal  as  any  others.  The  votes  of 
the  millions  of  Catholics  dictated  by  the 
head  of  the  Church  and  holding  the  bal- 
ance of  power  are  legal  votes  under  the 
law  of  franchise.  The  boycott  and  trick- 


244 The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

ery  are  concealed  and  difficult  of  proof, 
and  when  the  revelation  comes  and  the 
fight  is  on  and  in  the  open,  *  *  what  are  you 
going  to  do  about  it?" 

Is  any  one  so  stupid  or  ignorant  of  his- 
tory as  not  to  realize  what  it  will  mean 
and  what  it  will  cost  to  dislodge  this  Oc- 
topus that  has  cunningly  and  secretly 
wound  its  tentacles  around  the  life  of  the 
Nation!  Our  civil  war  was  child's  play  in 
comparison  with  this  Crusade,  this  Im- 
pending Crisis,  when  it  is  once  in  full 
sway.  These  conditions  more  than  all  oth- 
ers combined  are  likely  to  bring  in  "the 
man  on  horseback. ' '  Two  or  three  decades 
more  of  our  folly  and  blindness  will  put 
the  "Free  Schools"  in  all  large  cities  un- 
der the  control  of  their  avowed  enemy,  and 
by  votes  convert  our  "Godless  Public 
Schools"  into  the  Parochial  Schools  of 
"His  Holiness" — an  Italian  monk  who 
would  thereafter  administer  them  from 
Rome. 

I  would  prevent  the  consummation  of  all 
these  abominations.  I  would  save  to  Pro- 
testant and  Catholic  alike  the  sacrifice  that 


The  Real  Issues 245 

Russia  is  making  today  for  the  wickedness 
and  folly  of  uniting  Church  and  State. 

In  America  the  power  is  in  the  People, 
not  in  a  centralized  government.  He  who 
is  powerful,  wise,  or  cunning  enough  to 
control  the  people  or  hold  the  balance  of 
power,  holds  the  government.  The  Peo- 
ple are  the  government.  The  Despot  in 
Eome  realizes  this,  counts  on  it,  and  gov- 
erns himself  accordingly  in  his  American 
policy.  It  should  be  impossible  for  intel- 
ligent people  to  forget  that  no  such  policy 
or  consummation  can  hold  with  the  ad- 
vance of  civilization,  or  that  its  profits  can 
ever  outweigh  its  penalties. 

The  Egyptian  Paganism  that  is  the 
Genius  of  Rome  today  overlooks  this  Fiat 
of  Destiny,  but  the  people  here  will  have 
to  pay  the  penalty  to  the  last  poor  scruple. 
The  Laws  of  Light  and  Progress  know  no 
absolution,  nor  vicarious  atonement.  They 
are  as  inexorable  as  Fate,  and  the  "Vicar 
of  Christ'*  cannot  "stack  the  cards". 

The  issues  are  plain.  The  Crusade  has 
been  long  under  way.  The  enemy  is  thor- 
oughly entrenched,  foraging  on  the  coun- 
try and  taking  advantage  of  every  liberty 


246 The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

and  every  opportunity  here  offered  so  gen- 
erously to  the  world.  The  leaders  and 
plotters,  the  real  power,  are  in  Borne  at  a 
safe  distance.  They  are  masked  by  the 
stolen  mantle  of  the  Man  of  Sorrows  and 
cloaked — or  petticoated — in  the  name  of 
religion.  Their  secret  emissaries  avoid 
publicity.  On  the  Jesuitical  doctrine  that 
"the  end  justifies  the  means,"  they  carry 
on  their  work  of  conquest  under  our  very 
noses,  and  laugh  at  our  folly  and  supine- 
ness.  Keally,  is  there  "no  danger"? 

Auricular  confession  is  the  strongest 
kind  of  a  political  device.  It  saves  the 
work  of  an  army  of  spies.  Some  penitent 
and  superstitious  sinner  is  certain  to  con- 
fess knowledge  of,  or  complicity  in,  the 
very  things  the  religious  boss  would  like  to 
know  about,  anticipate  and  defeat.  Any 
penitent  may  thus  act,  consciously  or  un- 
consciously, as  a  spy,  pay  for  the  privilege 
and  thus  bring  in  revenues  instead  of  a  bill 
of  expense. 

Let  any  intelligent  individual  ask  him- 
self the  question — Suppose  the  Roman  ec- 
clesiastical authority  were  to  drop  the 
name  of  religion  and  with  its  claim  of  ab- 


The  Real  Issues 247 

solute  authority  in  Church  and  State  (on 
earth  and  in  heaven)  and  its  dogma  of 
blind,  unquestioning  obedience,  and  the 
penalties  for  disobedience,  subject  to  such 
fees  or  bribes  as  can  be  collected  or  en- 
forced— would  any  one  consider  the  term. 
11  Political",  as  applied  to  this  Hierarchy, 
in  any  sense  a  misnomer?  Can  any  one 
imagine  or  devise  more  powerful  engines 
of  Political  Despotism  than  these?  And 
because  this  political  Potentate  has  stolen 
the  mantle  of  Jesus  and  adopted  the  name 
of  religion,  is  this  diabolism  either  justi- 
fied or  sanctified? 

No  more  cunning  or  damnable  fraud  has 
ever  been  perpetrated  upon  the  children 
of  men  than  is  here  seen  in  sophisticating 
the  religion  of  Jesus  and  making  it  a  dis- 
guise of  ambitious  political  despotism. 
Clericalism  is  nothing  that  it  claims  to  be. 
What  it  really  is  has  been  demonstrated  in 
Europe  and  will  become  patent  to  the 
whole  human  race  before  the  present  Cru- 
sade in  America  is  completed. 

Let  any  one  who  doubts  or  denies  any 
statement  or  inference  herein  made, 
read  King's  "Facing  the  Twentieth  Cen- 


248  The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

tury,"  and  Father  Crowley's  "Parochial 
Schools".  If  he  is  not  then  convinced,  he 
might  as  well  make  obeisance  to  the  Pope. 
The  time  is  near  when  every  man  will  have 
to  show  his  true  colors. 

In  the  Crusade  that  is  now  so  perfectly 
planned,  so  cunningly  conducted,  and  so 
well  under  way,  the  most  hostile  and  bit- 
ter enmity  is  directed  against  Freemason- 
ry. This  is  not  on  account  of  any  special 
activity  or  opposition  coming  from  Masons 
here  at  present ;  for,  as  a  rule,  they  are  in- 
different and  complaisant  to  a  remark- 
able degree.  The  policy  of  Eome  is  now, 
as  it  has  always  been, — "Wherever  you 
see  a  Masonic  head,  hit  it,  and  hit  it  hard". 

The  Roman  Hierarchy  has  been  trying 
its  utmost  for  centuries  to  destroy  Mason- 
ry. Read  the  Bulls  of  the  Popes  directed 
against  the  Order,  and  the  impotent  and 
hysterical  curses  fulminated  against  Ma- 
sons everywhere  and  at  all  times. 

How  many  Masons  really  understand  the 
cause  of  this  policy?  To  say  that  it  is  of 
no  consequence  in  the  face  of  the  tremen- 
dous power  of  the  Pope  and  his  minions, 
is  simple  folly.  Very  true,  Masonry  has 


The  Real  Issues 249 

managed  to  exist  and  Masons  to  multiply 
in  spite  of  this  enmity. 

Witness  the  hysterical  spasms  of  the 
Catholic  press  over  the  laying  of  corner- 
stones in  government  edifices.  Of  course, 
an  emissary  of  the  Pope  "ought  to  perform 
all  such  functions"  in  this  "Free  Coun- 
try", and  of  course  the  precedent  at  this 
point  since  the  days  of  Washington  is  an- 
other of  our  "Godless  Designs"  against 
"Religion." 

Why  is  Masonry  such  a  thorn  in  the  side 
of  this  crucified  Italian  "Vicar"  who  dotes 
on  playing  that  he  is  a  "prisoner"  in  the 
Vatican?  Jesus  (and  even  the  Abbas  Ef- 
fendi)  went  everywhere  among  the  poor, 
* '  ate  with  publicans  and  sinners ' ',  and  was 
the  friend  of  the  lowly  and  the  comrade  of 
poor  fishermen.  His  "Vicar"  struts  with- 
in the  confines  of  his  Italian  palace,  wears 
costly  robes  bedecked  with  jewels,  and 
plays  prisoner  and  despot  at  the  same  time. 

Judea  is  indeed  far  from  Borne,  and 
Jesus  must  have  been  a  bungler  in  the  mat- 
ter of  running  a  Eeligious  Campaign.  On 
his  second  coming  he  will  have  the  benefit 
of  the  example  of  '  *  His  Holiness ' '  at  Some 


250 The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

to  guide  him.  Even  the  " Little  Father" 
at  St.  Petersburg  might  make  suggestions, 
exhibit  his  knout  as  a  persuader  to  holi- 
ness, and  perhaps  suggest  a  summer  excur- 
sion through  Siberia  as  an  object  lesson  in 
converting  the  world!  Ah,  Master!  what 
works  have  been  done  in  thy  name! 

The  animus  of  Clericalism  against  Free- 
masonry has  been  fully  revealed  elsewhere 
in  this  work.  The  Genius  of  Freemasonry, 
and  the  Genius  of  Eome,  constitute  the 
most  complete  antithesis  possible  to  imag- 
ine. No  such  complete  denial  of  every  claim 
set  up  by  Clericalism  can  anywhere  else  be 
found  as  confronts  it  in  Freemasonry. 
Masonry  stands  squarely  and  on  well-de- 
fined principles  for  the  precise  opposite  of 
Clericalism. 

Catholicism,  through  its  Hierarchy, 
curses  and  would  destroy  all  other  relig- 
ions and  would  "make  the  Catholic  Eelig- 
ion  the  Religion  of  the  State."  It  claims 
the  right  to  do  this  as  coming  directly  from 
God,  and  boldly  declares  that  it  would  en- 
force this  right  if  it  had  sufficient  political 
power.  It  expects  to  get  that  power  by  a 
solid  Catholic  vote. 


The  Real  Issues 251 

Masonry  stands  for  Religious  Freedom. 
It  shows  equal  courtesy  to  all  religions  and 
would  discriminate  against  none.  It  is 
herein  denied,  unqualifiedly,  that  the  Hier- 
archical department  of  Catholicism  has  a 
single  element  that  can  by  any  courtesy  be 
called  ' '  Religious. "  It  is  political,  and  of 
the  most  despotic  and  despicable  kind  of 
politics. 

Just  so  fast  as  the  world  is  converted  to 
the  ethical  principles  of  Freemasonry, — 
Brotherly  Love,  Belief  and  Truth, — and 
the  ethics  taught  and  lived  by  Jesus,  just 
so  fast  and  so  far  the  world  repudiates  ev- 
ery principle  and  every  claim  and  practice 
of  Eoman  Clericalism.  The  antagonism  is 
here  complete,  and  no  one  knows  and  real- 
izes it  better  than  the  Eoman  Hierarchy. 
The  indifference  and  supineness  of  many 
Masons  at  this  point  must  mean  either  ig- 
norance, folly,  or  cowardice.  Every  intel- 
ligent and  loyal  Mason  ought  to  accept  the 
challenge  of  Eome,  with  all  that  it  implies, 
and  proceed  at  once  to  act  upon  it.  He 
should  do  this  or  frankly  confess  himself 
a  coward.  There  is  no  other  alternative 
for  such  a  Mason. 


252 The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

Masonry  has  back  of  its  principles  and 
inspiring  its  Genius,  every  principle  of 
progress,  and  of  man's  higher  evolution. 
It  is  one  with  the  Light  of  the  Twentieth 
Century. 

Clericalism  is  a  nightmare  of  the  Dark 
Ages,  the  galvanized  corpse  of  the  super- 
stitions of  all  time.  It  aims  at  complete 
despotism,  tramples  on  every  right  of  the 
individual,  and  through  the  bugaboos  of 
ignorance  and  fear  seeks  to  rise  into  power 
by  trampling  humanity  into  the  dust.  It 
has  imprisoned,  tortured  and  burned  its 
helpless  victims  who  denied  its  authority, 
whenever  it  has  had  the  power.  It  boasts 
that  it  never  changes  its  policy,  never  for- 
gets an  injury,  never  forgives  an  enemy. 
And  all  this,  in  the  name  of  the  man  who 
delivered  the  ''Sermon  on  the  Mount"!! 
What  more  could  Satan  himself  have  done 
to  earn  his  title  of  "Roaring  Lion"! 

One  can  well  understand  and  appreciate 
the  exasperation  of  Clericalism  over  its  im- 
portency  and  failure  to  destroy  Masonry 
or  stay  its  progress  in  this  Twentieth  Cen- 
tury. At  present  it  only  curses,  makes  faces, 
calls  names,  lies  about  Masonry,  and  warns 


The  Real  Issues 253 

4jhe  faithful  to  beware!  But  give  it  a  lit- 
tle more  wealth  in  this  country,  a  few  more 
millions  of  imported  voters,  a  little  strong- 
er control  of  the  public  press,  a  little  more 
political  power,  generally,  and  Masons  will 
not  be  in  the  least  doubt  or  uncertainty  as 
to  the  animus  and  enmity  of  Koman  Cler- 
icalism. Clericalism  itself  has  sounded  the 
warning  and  is  repeating  it  every  day,  and 
those  who  think  she  is  incapable  of  carry- 
ing out  her  threats  had  better  take  a  course 
in  Juvenile  History ! 

How  any  intelligent,  just  and  upright 
Mason  can  overlook  or  be  indifferent  to  this 
Clerical  Crusade  here  and  now  going  on,  is 
difficult  to  understand.  Masons  will  awaken 
one  day.  May  it  not  be  too  late  to  save  their 
altars  and  their  inglesides?  Masons  have 
not  only  Fraternal  ties  but  civic  duties  and 
responsibilities,  and  these  in  the  end  are 
inseparable. 

The  Italian  Pope  is  a  figurehead  elected 
by  the  College  of  Cardinals,  and  the  Cardi- 
nals, as  a  body,  is  the  most  arrogant,  des- 
potic and  unscrupulous  political  organiza- 
tion on  earth  today ;  intrigue,  plotting  and 
murder  entering  into  their  policy  in  all 


254         The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

time.  The  Jesuits  are  the  secret  service 
organization  of  this  political  ring,  particu- 
larly menacing  to  America  to-day,  because 
we  hear  so  little  about  them.  Knowing 
their  "Double  Doctrine,"  their  animus  and 
history  in  the  past,  a  recent  gathering  of 
several  hundred  of  the  Order  in  the  city  of 
Chicago,  in  secret  conclave,  with  little 
reaching  the  public  as  to  their  designs  and 
deliberations,  is  as  suspicious  and  menac- 
ing to  the  liberties  of  the  people  as  though 
they  were  known  to  belong  to  the  Mafia. 

What  good  thing  can  this  Order  point  to 
that  it  has  ever  done  for  the  liberty  or  en- 
lightenment of  any  people  under  the  sun? 
Plotting  against  governments  and  against 
Borne  itself,  expelled  from  nearly  every 
country  under  the  sun,  interdicted  at  times 
by  a  Pope  who  found  them  too  bad  to  be 
of  any  good  even  to  him  or  his  government, 
these  emissaries  are  a  menace  to  America 
today  by  their  very  numbers  and  their  si- 
lence. 

And  these  are  the  Euffians  that  contin- 
ually protest  against  Masonry  and  snarl 
like  wild  beasts  because  it  is  a  se- 
cret organization.  They  even  sneak  into 


The  Real  Issues 255 

our  Lodges  and  give  the  lie  to  their  own 
charge  of  ''secrecy,"  so  consistent  is  this 
"Holy  Order"! 

The  Principles  of  Freemasonry  are  pub- 
lished openly  to  the  world.  They  are  the 
principles  upon  which  this  government  was 
founded,  and  with  which  this  country  faces 
the  Twentieth  Century,  and  our  long  list 
of  heroes  and  martyrs  is  largely  a  list  of 
Freemasons. 

It  will  be  charged  that  the  present  writer 
is  trying  to  excite  hatred  against  * '  our  fel- 
low-citizens who  are  Catholics. ' '  So  far  as 
any  of  these  are  intelligently  informed  and 
act  consciously  with  the  political  gang  at 
Borne,  they  should  be  held  strictly  respon- 
sible. Beyond  this  they  are  entitled  to  the 
same  courtesies,  the  same  liberties,  rights, 
benefits  and  governmental  protection  as  all 
other  American  citizens,  no  more,  no  less. 

As  religionists,  while  completely  affil- 
iated and  under  the  bond  of  blind  obedience 
to  Borne,  they  cannot  wholly  escape  the 
charge  of  seeking  to  "make  the  Catholic 
religion  the  religion  of  the  State."  They 
are  thus  hostile  to  all  other  religions,  and 
hostile  alike  to  any  Free  State.  As  citizens 


256 The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

they  are  so  far  hostile  to  the  State  and  all 
its  Free  Institutions  which  they  are  thus 
seeking  to  destroy.  With  this  animus  openly 
acknowledged  by  their  dictator,  they  should 
make  haste  to  repudiate  the  union  of 
Church  and  State,  and  thus  go  on  record 
with  all  good  citizens  as  friends  of  the 
Genius  of  this  Eepublic. 

So  long  as  they  evade  this  issue  or  fail 
to  make  the  declaration,  they  will  be  com- 
pelled to  stand  on  the  record  that  has  been 
made  for  them.  The  issue  is  too  plain  to 
be  sophisticated,  denied,  or  long  concealed. 
The  issue  between  Whig  and  Tory  was  not 
more  specific  at  the  foundation  of  this  gov- 
ernment. 

The  purpose  at  this  point  and  at  this 
time  is  to  arouse  Masons  from  the  lethargy, 
indifference  and  skepticism  in  which  they 
sleep  and  dream  that  "there  is  no  danger". 
Their  numbers  are  few  but  they  are  ' '  select 
men",  good  men  and  true,  and  while  they 
cannot  outnumber  or  outvote  the  hordes  of 
Roman  Clericalism,  they  can,  by  their  intel- 
ligence, courage  and  perseverance,  hold  the 
balance  of  power  here,  as  Masons  have  long 
held  it  in  France.  They  can  use  that  pow- 


The  Real  Issues 257 

er  for  the  good  of  every  citizen  of  America, 
Catholic  and  Protestant  alike ;  no  favorites, 
no  special  privileges  to  any;  just  common 
citizenship,  and  One  Common  Country, 
with  equal  rights,  equal  duties  and  equal 
Freedom  to  all. 

If  this  be  not  at  once  the  Ideal  of  this 
Eepublic,  and  the  Genius  of  Freemasonry, 
what  is  it? 

Are  Masons  ready  to  do  the  work  for 
which  Masonry  was  instituted  and  has  been 
preserved  throughout  the  ages?  Will  they 
stand  for  their  altars  and  their  firesides, 
and  hold  the  Euffians  strictly  to  the  impre- 
cations of  their  own  mouths  ?  Will  they  help 
to  raise  prostrate  Liberty  from  the  dead 
level  of  superstition,  fear  and  intolerance, 
to  the  living  perpendicular  of  Freedom  and 
Light,  Equality  and  Fraternity?  Are  they 
prepared  to  receive  the  Real  Word  and 
move  Onward  and  Upward  into  the  Light? 

The  fate  of  this  government  lies  in  the 
principles  of  Ethics,  Economics  and  politi- 
cal Freedom  upon  which  it  was  founded. 
"In  the  beginning"  notice  was  served  on 
Religion,  per  se,  to  keep  its  hands  off  this 
government.  It  was  informed  that  no 


258 The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

union  of  Church  and  State  would  be  toler- 
ated, whether  sought  by  force  or  fraud. 
This  government  was  not  founded  for  the 
glory  of  God,  but  for  the  freedom  and  bet- 
terment of  man.  When  this  is  secured,  the 
glory  of  God  will  rise  in  gratitude  as  an 
anthem  that  will  reach  the  stars.  Let  us 
first  learn  to  be  just,  and  then  join  in  the 
anthem. 

Masonry  stands  for  sound  morals,  eco- 
nomic justice,  and,  at  last,  for  a  common 
Fraternity  of  all  mankind.  Clericalism 
would  divide  the  world  into  saints  and  sin- 
ners, reserving  to  itself  in  every  case  the 
deciding  vote,  and  send  to  hell  or  to  the 
dungeon,  the  rack  and  the  flames  all  who 
refused  to  kiss  its  ring  or  make  obeisance 
before  it. 

The  issue  is  indeed  exceeding  plain;  so 
plain,  indeed,  that  only  a  knave  or  a  fool 
need  err  therein.  It  is  not  because  of  lack 
of  knowledge  nor  of  due  warning  that — 

"We  wait  beneath  the  furnace  blast 
The  pangs  of  transformation." 

If  we  wait  longer  it  will  be  because  we 
are  recreant  to  plain  duty. 


THE  BALANCE  OF  POWER. 


Money  today,  in  this  country,  holds  the 
balance  of  power.  Our  national  divinity  is 
Mammon. 

By  the  "balance  of  power"  is  meant  any 
principle,  agency,  or  power  that  is  capable 
of  influencing  the  trend  of  events,  shap- 
ing the  policy  of  the  nation,  or  controlling 
the  activities  of  the  majority  of  the  people. 

As  a  country  at  large  our  financial  and 
commercial  prosperity  is  unprecedented. 
Money  is  massed  by  millions  in  the  hands 
of  a  comparatively  few  individuals.  This 
money  has  been  gathered  in  a  comparative- 
ly short  time,  in  manufacture,  trade,  trans- 
portation, commerce,  and  by  utilizing  dis- 
coveries in  the  arts  and  sciences.  Many 
gigantic  fortunes  have  been  made  by 
"watering  stocks"  and  giving  fictitious 
values  to  the  assets  of  corporations,  and 
yet  so  rapid  has  been  the  growth  in  all  di- 

259 


260 The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

rections  that  even  these  fictitious  values 
have  often  been  realized  and  made  good 
by  the  growth  of  industries. 

The  agents  and  representatives  of  these 
immense  money  interests  have  shaped  leg- 
islation, organized  and  consolidated  their 
wealth  and  often  pooled  their  interests  for 
mutual  profits.  Hence  there  has  arisen  a 
centralization  of  the  money  power  far  be- 
yond the  interests  of  the  country  or  of  the 
whole  people.  The  people  are  said  to  be 
the  governing  power  in  a  Republic,  and 
whenever  this  power  is  centered  in  one,  or 
in  even  a  few  individuals,  no  matter  under 
what  name  or  pretext,  the  welfare  of  the 
people,  as  a  whole,  is  jeopardized. 

Coincident  with  this  rapid  accumulation 
of  wealth  has  been  the  growth  of  great 
cities,  and  hence  has  grown  up  another 
agency  for  centralization  of  power.  The 
representatives  of  great  fortunes,  concen- 
trated in  these  large  cities,  have  realized 
their  dependence  upon  the  State  Legisla- 
tures, which  make  laws  for  cities,  and  have 
influenced,  controlled,  bought,  or  exploited 
them  accordingly. 

At  present  the  General  Government  is 


The  Balance  of  Power 261 

taking  a  hand  in  endeavoring  to  check 
these  abuses.  But  this  is  likely  in  the  end 
to  prove  a  still  more  dangerous  centraliza- 
tion of  power,  even  though  the  measures 
proposed  may  seem  a  pressing  necessity 
and  appeal  to  the  people  as  justified  under 
present  conditions. 

The  remedy  is  very  simple.  It  lies  in  a 
direct  appeal  to  the  people,  in  a  restoration 
of  power  to  the  source  of  its  creation,  the 
people  themselves.  They  really  have  the 
power,  but  have  been  tricked  out  of  it  by 
laws,  usages,  customs  and  abuses  that  have 
grown  up  with  the  increase  of  wealth  and 
population.  The  remedy  here  lies  directly 
and  specifically  in  what  is  known  as  the 
Initiative  and  Referendum. 

The  purpose  here,  however,  is  not  to  dis- 
cuss politics,  but  rather  to  illustrate  the 
principles  that  dominate  society,  shape 
public  policy,  and  so  involve  the  well-being 
of  every  citizen  as  well  as  every  Mason. 

In  its  last  analysis,  the  Balance  of  Power 
lies  in  the  will,  the  intelligence,  the  strength 
and  the  influence  of  the  majority  of  the  cit- 
izens at  any  given  time.  True,  a  single  in- 
dividual may  so  appeal  to  or  influence  the 


262  The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

people  of  a  city  or  a  nation  as  to  control 
the  majority. 

Such  an  appeal  would  have  to  be  made  in 
a  form  that  seemed  at  least  to  promise  gen- 
eral benefits  to  all  concerned.  The  appeal 
would  here  be  to  the  self-interest  of  the 
majority.  Hence,  a  promise  or  a  prospect 
of  securing  peace,  higher  wages,  greater 
prosperity  and  the  like,  would  meet  with 
response  in  proportion  to  the  confidence  in, 
or  reasonableness  of,  the  man  or  the  meas- 
ures proposed. 

Tyrants,  despots,  rulers,  and  those 
greedy  for  power  in  all  ages  have  resisted 
the  necessity  and  avoided  as  far  as  possi- 
ble any  appeal  to  the  people  at  all.  So  long 
as  it  was  admitted  that  they  had  hereditary 
rights  belonging  only  to  the  few,  or  the 
claim  was  admitted  that  they  ruled  "by  the 
Grace  of  God,"  the  people  were  never 
taken  into  council. 

With  the  increase  of  intelligence  and  the 
growth  of  civilization,  the  '  *  Grace  of  God, ' ' 
hereditary  prerogatives,  and  special  priv- 
ilege have  slowly  disappeared  till  in  demo- 
cratic countries  and  would-be  Republics 
they  are  denied  altogether.  Hence  the 


The  Balance  of  Power 263 

money  power,  as  above  referred  to,  has 
usurped  their  place  and  equally  exploited 
the  people. 

In  the  meantime,  there  is  still  another 
source  of  power  by  which  the  people  may 
be  exploited  and  the  majority  ruled.  That 
is  by  appeal  to  ignorance,  superstition  and 
fear. 

In  a  republican  form  of  government 
where  votes  count,  if  the  influence  of  wealth 
can  be  added  to  that  of  superstition  and 
fear  the  strongest  possible  combination  is 
secured  for  exploiting  the  many  in  the  in- 
terests of  the  few  through  the  control  of 
votes.  In  such  a  case  it  is  not  necessary 
that  a  majority  of  the  whole  people  at  any 
time  should  be  so  exploited. 

If,  for  example,  a  solid  vote  of  say 
2,000,000  electors  can  be  securely  counted 
on  and  dictated  by  one  head  regardless  of 
all  political  issues  or  parties,  by  shifting 
that  vote  in  any  general  election  and  by 
compromising  on  minor  questions  in  order 
to  secure  special  aims  or  results,  the  party 
so  controlling  the  2,000,000  votes  would 
hold  the  balance  of  power  as  securely  as 
any  despot  ever  held  the  reins  of  govern- 


264 The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

ment.  That  is  precisely  what  the  Pope  of 
Eome  through  his  agencies  and  minions  is 
doing  in  America  today. 

No  Free  people,  no  Democracy,  no  real 
Republic  will  ever  get  rid  of  this  question 
of  the  balance  of  power.  It  is  inevitable  in 
the  nature  of  things  and  organic  in  all 
human  associations.  This  is  not  only 
proven  by  all  history,  but  demonstrated 
every  day  by  organizations  such  as  the 
Dowieites,  the  Eddyites,  and  hundreds  of 
communities  all  over  the  country. 

People  are  appealed  to,  organized,  domi- 
nated, or  exploited  by  an  Idea,  by  some  real 
or  fancied  gain,  by  some  promise  or  expec- 
tation held  out  by  an  individual  or  repre- 
sented by  an  Idea.  If  then,  this  balance  of 
power  cannot  be  gotten  rid  of,  the  ques- 
tion is — For  what  purpose  shall  it  be  used, 
and  who  shall  hold  it? 

Suppose  this  influential  factor  could  be 
divested  of  all  personal  ambitions,  all  sel- 
fish interests,  aims  or  ends,  whatsoever, 
and  held  solely  for  the  common  good  of  all 
alike.  This  would  constitute  it  a  Sacred 
Trust,  an  influence  for  civilization,  the  up- 
lift of  humanity  as  a  whole. 


The  Balance  of  Power 265 

This  is  by  no  means  inconceivable.  It 
is  altogether  rational,  provided  the  2,000,- 
000  voters,  as  before,  held  the  balance  of 
power  and  used  it  for  this  purpose  and  in 
this  way.  Not,  however,  dominated  by  any 
one  individual,  but  by  a  Grand  Idea;  say, 
the  Golden  Rule,  or  the  genuine  principle 
of  Brotherhood  based  on  common  needs 
and  inspired  by  a  common  duty. 

Can  any  one  fail  to  see  here  a  great  op- 
portunity? 

Now,  we  have  in  this  country  today  over 
two  million  voters  who  are  Freemasons. 
Every  one  of  them  has  given  his  voluntary 
assent  and  pledged  his  allegiance  to  pre- 
cisely this  Grand  Idea,  viz.,  the  common, 
unqualified  and  universal  Brotherhood  of 
Man. 

True,  they  belong,  as  individuals,  to  dif- 
ferent political  parties,  to  different  relig- 
ions, or  they  profess  no  religion  at  all. 
They  are  found  in  every  trade,  occupation 
or  line  of  reputable  business  and  in  every 
walk  in  life.  Can  they  urge  self-interest  or 
indifference  to  their  obligations  as  an  ex- 
cuse for  ignoring  all  their  solemn  obliga 
tions  as  men  and  Masons?  If  every  one  of 


266  The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

them  adhered  to  his  obligation  and  did  his 
duty  would  they  not  hold  today  the  balance 
of  power? 

No  such  appeal  can  be  made  elsewhere  to 
any  such  body  of  men,  for  the  reason  that 
it  nowhere  else  exists. 

Organization  into  a  body  of  voters  is 
neither  desirable  nor  contemplated.  Ma- 
sonry, as  an  Institution,  has  no  business 
in  politics.  Masons  as  individuals,  regard- 
ing their  obligations,  adhering  to  their 
principles  and  doing  their  duty,  is  another 
proposition  entirely. 

Can  any  one  who  has  once  been  a  Mason 
and  assumed  these  obligations  give  a  single 
reason  why  he  should  not  discharge  them? 
Was  there  in  any  case  mental  reservation, 
or  secret  evasion  of  mind?  Or  was  it  pro- 
vided and  determined  that  there  should  be 
wholesouled  and  unequivocal  assent  to  ev- 
ery obligation  assumed?  If  this  be  true — 
and  I  challenge  any  regular  Mason  to  deny 
it — let  him  not  suggest  that  I  am  reading 
into  Masonry  any  new  or  foreign  interpre- 
tation. 

Let  any  Brother  Mason  contemplate  for 
a  moment  how  he  would  feel  if  he  could 


The  Balance  of  Power 267 

realize  that  he  was  one  of  a  body  of  2,000,- 
000  voters  who  had  held  the  balance  of 
power  in  a  recent  election,  and  by  standing 
solely  for  equity,  justice  and  right,  had 
turned  the  tide  against  usurpation  and 
wrong.  Would  he  not  feel  as  he  always 
does  when  he  has  done  his  whole  duty  as  a 
man,  with  clean  hands,  a  warm  heart  and 
an  approving  conscience  ?  Would  he  find  in 
his  heart  any  cause  for  shame  or  regret? 

Now,  my  Brother,  some  one  individual, 
some  body  of  men,  some  principle,  or  some 
Idea,  always  does  and  always  will  hold  the 
balance  of  power  in  this  country.  Who 
shall  it  be,  and  for  what  purpose  f  Only  the 
man  who  has  no  principles  and  recognizes 
no  obligations  can  truthfully  say,  "I  do  not 
care." 

At  the  present  moment  this  balance  of 
power  in  America  is  held  by  an  Italian  who 
has  condemned  every  one  of  our  Free  In 
stitutions,  for  he  enforces  and  confirms  the 
decrees  of  his  predecessors.  He  has  the 
most  colossal,  compact,  powerful  and  secret 
organization  on  earth  today.  The  College 
of  Cardinals  are  his  Ministers  of  State,  and 


268  The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

the  Order  of  Jesuits  are  his  secret  minions 
and  emissaries. 

This  Italian  Despot  has  the  pledged  al- 
legiance of  every  Bishop,  Priest  and  Com- 
municant in  America.  He  proposes  to  use 
a  solid  Catholic  vote  to  make  America 
Catholic,  destroy  every  one  of  our  Free  In- 
stitutions, make  the  Catholic  Eeligion  *  *  the 
religion  of  the  State  to  the  exclusion  of  all 
other  religions,"  and  he,  the  " Infallible 
Pope, ' '  become  the  dictator  of  this  govern- 
ment. He  holds  today  in  this  country  the 
balance  of  power  for  this  avowed  purpose, 
and  pledged  to  this  end. 

No  use  saying,  "He  cannot  do  it."  He 
is  doing  it,  and  slowly  but  surely  accom- 
plishing his  purpose.  Bead  "  Facing  the 
Twentieth  Century,"  and  see.  The  only 
question  is,  at  what  point  are  we  going  to 
call  a  halt.  Shall  it  be  now,  or  after  every 
one  of  our  Free  Institutions  has  been  un- 
dermined by  Jesuitry  and  nothing  but  a  re- 
ligious civil  war  will  enable  us  to  regain 
our  freedom?  No  freeman  can  escape  this 
issue,  this  Impending  Crisis,  nor  his  Per- 
sonal Eesponsibility  regarding  it. 

Why  this  special  appeal  to  Freemasons  ? 


The  Balance  of  Power 269 

Simply  because  they  constitute  the  only 
body  of  men  in  the  world  pledged  from  be- 
ginning to  end  to  the  reverse  of  every  pre- 
cept and  principle  in  the  policy  of  the 
Roman  Pontiff.  If  these  fail  to  do  their 
duty  what  are  we  to  expect  from  others  ? 

This  balance  of  power  is  like  the  ballast 
of  a  great  ship.  If  allowed  to  shift  around 
in  a  disorderly  way  it  may  help  to  sink  the 
ship.  But  shifted  wisely  and  judiciously 
when  the  ship  rolls  or  is  in  danger,  it  helps 
to  right  it  and  secure  safety. 

Two  million  Catholic  voters  (and  this  is 
a  very  low  estimate)  under  the  control  of 
one  dictator,  held  by  superstition  and  fear 
to  the  dogma  of  obedience,  and  obeying 
blindly  regardless  of  all  else,  is  a  most  dan- 
gerous menace  indeed.  Freed  from  this 
dogma  of  obedience  and  this  exploitation 
the  Catholic  citizen  and  voter  deserves  no 
criticism.  But  massed,  dominated  and  ex- 
ploited, these  voters  add  nothing  to  the 
prosperity  and  perpetuity  of  our  country. 
On  the  contrary,  they  are  a  shifting  bal- 
last and  a  dead  weight  that  may  sink  our 
Ship  of  State  at  any  time.  They  not  only 
do  nothing  to  conserve  our  liberties,  but 


270 The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

are  continually  used  to  annul  and  under- 
mine them. 

One  of  their  strongest  points  of  attack 
is  our  Free  Secular  Schools.  These  they 
everywhere  seek  to  undermine  and  destroy 
and  to  substitute  for  them  the  inefficient 
sectarian  Parochial  School.  Notwithstand- 
ing the  hostility  of  the  Pope  and  his  repre- 
sentatives everywhere  expressed  toward 
our  Free  Schools,  in  the  cities  of  Chicago 
and  Boston,  more  than  two-thirds  of  the 
teachers  in  the  Public  Schools  are  Cath- 
olics. These  teachers  as  good  Catholics  are 
the  avowed  enemies  of  the  very  schools  in 
which  they  are  employed  to  teach. 

Any  one  innocent  enough  to  see  no  de- 
sign back  of  this  condition  of  things  had 
better  read  the  History  of  the  Jesuits  and 
the  "Double  Doctrine  of  the  Church  of 
Eome.  They  might  supplement  these 
with  Father  Crowley's  "The  Parochial 
School." 

If  we  should  read  of  these  things  in  the 
History  of  some  ancient  Kepublic,  showing 
how  it  went  to  pieces  or  was  converted  to 
a  form  of  absolute  Despotism,  we  would 
feel  indignation.  But  this  is  the  very  his- 


The  Balance  of  Power 271 

tory  we  are  making  in  this  country  today. 

When  Catholics  get  in  other  cities  and  in 
this  country  at  large  what  they  already 
have  in  Chicago  and  Boston,  our  Free 
Schools  will  be  a  thing  of  the  past.  The 
Parochial  School  will  have  taken  their 
place.  The  dogma  of  obedience  will  be 
drilled  into  every  youth  of  the  land  by  the 
dark  Sons  of  Loyola,  who  long  ago  de- 
clared, ' '  Give  us  the  education  of  the  child 
for  the  first  seven  years,  and  we  care  not 
what  follows." 

Now,  for  the  peace  and  perpetuity  of  this 
Republic,  it  is  necessary  to  neutralize  this 
balance  of  power  that  is  already  in  the 
hands  of  Clericalism.  This  can  be  done  only 
by  opposing  to  it  continually  not  only  an 
equal  number  but  a  majority  of  voters  who 
can  be  equally  relied  upon  to  oppose  all 
such  ambitions  and  exploitation  of  the  ig- 
norant masses. 

This  opposition  must  be  by  voluntary 
impulse  from  individuals  who  realize  the 
danger  and  the  necessity  of  eternal  vigil- 
ance regarding  the  common  danger,  and 
with  whom  the  sense  of  civic  duty  and  per- 


272 The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

sonal  responsibility  is  sufficiently  strong 
to  keep  them  continually  active. 

The  only  sufficient  body  of  men  who  from 
their  voluntary  obligation  and  intelligence 
along  these  lines  could  be  expected  to  do 
this  work  is  the  Order  of  Freemasons. 
True,  they  will  find  many  assistants  and 
co-operators,  for  which  they  will  be  frater- 
nally grateful.  Chief  among  these  is  the 
Junior  Order  of  United  American  Mechan- 
ics, who  realize  the  danger  and  are  already 
active  in  neutralizing  it. 

The  object  is  not  to  create  hatred  and 
strife  but  to  prevent  unjust  legislation  and 
injury  to  our  Free  Institutions.  In  the 
long  run  the  rank  and  file  of  our  opponents 
will  really  be  benefited  more  than  any  oth- 
ers. Their  eyes  will  eventually  be  opened 
to  the  real  character  of  their  dictators  and 
the  injustice  done  to  them  under  the  name 
and  garb  of  religion.  This  will  result  in 
forcing  them  from  the  degrading  bondage 
of  superstition  and  fear,  whereupon  they 
will  bless  their  liberators  and  join  with 
them  as  in  France  and  Italy  they  are  now 
doing. 

If  we  are  ever  to  realize  an  Ideal  Ee- 
public  composed  of  every  people,  kindred 


The  Balance  of  Power 273 

and  tongue,  where  Justice  shall  reign  and 
be  secured  to  all,  it  will  have  to  be  built  up 
slowly  and  at  some  sacrifice  from  all.  Free- 
masons ought  to  be  foremost  in  realizing 
all  this.  They  should  do  their  utmost  in 
promoting  it. 

As  elsewhere  indicated,  Peace  on  Earth 
and  good  will  to  man  will  never  be  realized 
except  on  a  basis  of  ethics  and  economics. 
In  the  absence  of  universal  justice  in  all 
secular  affairs  a  Universal  Religion  can 
only  be  inaugurated  through  force  or 
Jesuitry.  Clericalism  has  invariably  em- 
ployed both,  and  the  more  they  succeed  the 
less  religion  there  is  and  the  farther  we  are 
from  peace  and  justice.  Secure  in  these, 
Universal  Eeligion  will  be  already  here. 

The  most  hopeful  sign  of  the  times  is  the 
fact  that  the  interest  in  and  discussion  of 
ethical  and  economic  problems  was  never 
so  great  as  today.  Except  in  the  rigid  con- 
formity and  obedience  of  Roman  Catholics 
in  attending  churches,  the  real  interest  in 
Churches  and  so-called  religion  has  stead- 
ily decreased  as  interest  in  ethical  and  eco- 
nomic problems  has  increased.  Those  who 
represent  the  latter  now  hold  the  balance 


274 The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

of  power  instead  of  those  who  represent 
so-called  religion. 

This  means  that  a  new  basis  for  religion 
was  demanded  by  the  people.  First  become 
reconciled  to  thy  Brother — first  be  just, 
equitable  and  right — and  then  offer  thy 
adoration  to  Deity.  The  reign  of  the 
Christ  can  only  come  after  economic  jus- 
tice. Before  this,  he  brings  a  sword ! 

The  "religion"  of  unjust  men  has  ever 
been  a  fetish  or  Moloch,  according  to  their 
political  power.  The  union  of  Church  and 
State  has  never  once  in  the  history  of  man 
failed  to  enthrone  Moloch,  and  to  exploit, 
rob  and  murder  the  people  in  the  name  of 
Eeligion. 

Political  Parties,  Eeligions,  Theories  of 
Government,  Institutions  of  all  kinds,  are 
on  trial.  They  will  be  sifted  to  the  last 
analysis  and  tried  by  the  Law  of  Use  and 
the  greatest  good  to  the  whole  of  mankind. 
There  can  be  no  lasting  concealment,  no 
lasting  evasion  of  this  Law.  Freemasonry 
can  claim  no  exemption  and  seeks  no  eva- 
sion. 

Take  the  lowest  estimate  that  the  most 
ignorant  and  superficial  Mason  may  put 


The  Balance  of  Power 275 

upon  the  Order,  viz.,  that  of  a  merely  social 
organization  for  the  purpose  of  securing  a 
"good  time."  If  that  were  admitted,  then 
we  would  have  to  explain  the  necessity  of 
having  the  Bible  on  the  altar,  of  invoking 
the  name  of  Deity,  and  of  otherwise  pro- 
faning the  most  holy  things.  The  Baccha- 
nal of  barbarians  could  go  little  further. 
The  "Judicial  Congress"  added  only  lust 
and  profligacy. 

No  man  was  ever  "prepared"  and 
"qualified"  and  made  first  a  Mason  in  his 
heart,  who  does  not  know  that  such  an  es- 
timate of  Freemasonry  is  not  only  a  pro- 
fane caricature,  but  a  wicked  lie.  If  any 
Mason,  so-called,  holds  it,  he  should  hide 
his  head  in  shame.  It  is  solely  the  creation 
of  his  own  heart  and  depraved  imagination. 

And  so  Masonry  itself  is  on  trial,  like  all 
other  Institutions  of  man.  What  can  it  of- 
fer for  the  education  of  the  people?  How 
does  it  deal  with  ethics  and  economics? 
What  does  it  offer  for  the  common  weal? 
What  can  it  add  to  the  commonwealth? 

In  the  day  that  is  dawning  every  Mason 
will  be  compelled  to  answer  these  pertinent 
questions.  Why  not  answer  them  now,  and 


276 The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

array  ourselves  on  the  side  of  Liberty,  Fra- 
ternity and  Light,  and  so  hold  and  use  the 
Balance  of  Power? 


EOMAN   CLERICALISM— A  MENACE 

TO  CIVILIZATION— THE  WORST 

ENEMY  OF  MAN. 


Man  is  a  self-conscious,  Individualized 
Intelligence.  He  knows  that  he  is  Himself. 
This  knowledge  is  as  patent  to  the  child  as 
to  the  man.  It  is  a  matter  of  individual 
experience,  from  which  the  whole  tide  of 
life  flows  and  the  whole  range  of  man's 
varied  experience  proceeds.  All  specula- 
tions as  to  Life  or  Organism,  Structure  or 
Function,  Mind,  Thought  or  Feeling,  Soul, 
Spirit  or  Ego,  start  from  this  empirical 
experience  of  man.  Without  it,  man  would 
not  be  man.  What  Consciousness  or  Life 
or  Mind  is,  per  se,  no  one  knows.  They  are 
"Ultimates"  beyond  which  we  cannot  go, 
as  are  also  Matter  and  Force. 

Self -cognition  in  man  enables  him  to 
recognize  also  the  existence,  relations,  and 
behavior  of  these  Ultimates,  the  essence  of 
which  is  concealed  from  him. 

277 


278 The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

All  knowledge  for  man  proceeds  from  a 
knowledge  of  Self,  an  experience  of  his  re- 
lation ta  other  individuals  and  other 
things;  the  Self,  and  the  Non-self.  Next 
to  man's  Self -Conscious  Intelligence  stands 
his  Rational  Volition,  the  power  to  act  and 
the  power  to  choose.  Next  in  the  line  of 
normal  action  and  progressive  evolution 
come  the  necessity  and  the  duty  of  Self- 
Control,  and  finally  there  dawns  and  devel- 
ops in  him  the  sense  and  the  obligation  of 
Personal  Responsibility.  Here  are  the  es- 
sential elements,  the  foundation  of  Psy- 
chology and  all  true  Philosophy  of  the  na- 
ture and  life  of  man. 

To  recapitulate :  We  have  the  Self -Con- 
scious Intelligence,  endowed  with  the  Pow- 
er of  Rational  Volition  or  Free  Choice,  with 
the  Duty  of  Self-Control  and  the  recogni- 
tion of  Personal  Responsibility.  These  are 
the  Elements,  the  Principles  and  the  Condi- 
tions of  the  normal  evolution  of  man. 

This  individualization  of  man,  this  self- 
identity,  is  the  culmination  of  the  impulse 
of  Nature  running  through  all  lower  forms 
of  life,  segregating  the  one  from  the  many. 

With  the  dawn  of  Self-Consciousness  in 


Roman  Clericalism 279 

man  this  segregation  is  complete.  Then  be- 
gins the  power  of  choice,  the  dawn  of  Voli- 
tion or  Free  Will,  and  with  the  progress  of 
Individual  Intelligence  there  is  also,  pro- 
gressively at  every  step,  Personal  Respon- 
sibility. From  savagery  to  barbarism  and 
from  barbarism  to  civilization  these  princi- 
ples are  everywhere  operative.  They  are 
everywhere  and  at  all  times  recognized. 
The  idiot,  the  imbecile,  the  insane,  and  in 
later  times  the  hypnotic  subject,  are  rela- 
tively exempt  from  Personal  Responsibil- 
ity. 

All  laws  for  the  protection  of  communi- 
ties or  the  punishment  of  crime  hold  the 
individual  responsible  for  his  acts,  accord- 
ing to  his  intelligence  and  freedom  of 
choice.  Self-restraint  is  thus  inculcated 
and  enforced,  and  wherever  and  whenever 
it  fails  as  a  restraining  power  the  law  with 
its  penalties  steps  in.  Outward  constraint 
begins  where  Self-Control  leaves  off. 

Wise,  just  and  humane  laws  are  only 
found  in  communities  the  individuals  of 
which  habitually  recognize  Personal  Re- 
sponsibility and  exercise  a  large  degree  of 
Self-Control.  In  a  community  where  every 


280 The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

individual  habitually  exercised  intelligent 
Self-Control  and  recognized  to  the  fullest 
extent  Personal  Responsibility  laws  for  ex- 
ternal restraint  would  be  wholly  unneces- 
sary. Therein  crime  and  injustice  would 
be  unknown. 

Man  can  become  a  "law  unto  himself" 
only  through  obedience  to  these  basic  prin- 
ciples of  his  being.  Man  can  become  free 
from  outward  restraint  only  through  rec- 
ognition and  obedience  to  the  inner  Law 
upon  which  his  whole  evolution  depend?. 
What  we  call  Conscience  is  neither  more 
nor  less  than  the  recognition  of  Personal 
Responsibility. 

If  these  principles  of  ethics,  these  postu- 
lates of  evolution,  be  true — and  they  can- 
not be  denied — then  whatever  obscures,  ig- 
nores, subverts  or  denies  Personal  Respon- 
sibility, whatever  weakens  individual  Self- 
Control  and  Rational  Volition,  is  a  menace 
to  civilization  and  the  worst  enemy  of  man. 
It  facilitates  crime,  promotes  injustice  and 
subverts  the  real  purpose  of  law  as  an  out- 
ward restraint  by  ingenious  subterfuges 
to  escape  just  penalties. 

In  the  present  age,  the  subversion  of  law 


Roman  Clericalism 281 

and  the  escape  from  just  punishment  come 
directly  from  Mammon  .Worship  and  the 
power  of  wealth.  This  defeats  justice,  pro- 
motes rascality  and  lowers  the  ethical  or 
moral  standard  in  every  community.  Bad 
as  is  this  power  of  wealth  when  thus  de- 
praved, no  one  attempts  to  justify  it.  It 
is  never  claimed  as  a  right,  but  exercised 
as  a  privilege.  It  is  the  power  of  the  auto- 
crat and  the  Bobber  Baron  in  another  form 
in  defiance  of  justice  and  right.  It  will  in- 
evitably in  the  end  meet  the  same  ven- 
geance, and  so  we  leave  it  to  its  own  Neme- 
sis. 

But  there  is  a  deeper  wrong  than  this 
upon  the  surface  of  our  civiliaztion,  one 
that  goes  to  the  very  foundation  of  human 
conduct,  subverts  every  principle  of  moral 
responsibility  and  weakens  self-restraint. 
It  annuls  virtue  and  places  a  reward  on 
crime. 

In  order  to  promote  its  objects  it  does 
its  utmost  to  keep  man  in  ignorance  of 
these  basic  laws  of  his  being.  It  practical- 
ly denies  the  necessity  of  Self-Control  and 
pretends  to  relieve  man  of  Responsibility. 
In  place  of  these  normal  and  healthy  safe- 


282 The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

guards  of  the  individual  and  of  the  com- 
munity it  inculcates  and  enforces  the  dog- 
ma of  blind  obedience.  It  subverts  every 
law  of  Nature  designed  for  the  normal  evo- 
lution of  man. 

Its  motive  is  Wealth,  Power  and  arro- 
gant Dominion.  To  secure  these  its  insati- 
able greed  is  ready  to  sacrifice  the  whole 
human  race.  Unlike  Mammon,  this  Moloch 
carries  on  its  crusade  in  the  name  of  God, 
and  pretends  to  justify  it  in  the  name  of 
Christ.  It  does  not  dare  to  appeal  to  Bea- 
son.  That  is  a  " deadly  sin."  It  claims 
for  itself  Authority.  It  demands  of  its  ig- 
norant dupes  blind  obedience  and  claims 
to  be  the  sole  Judge  of  Eight  and  Wrong. 

Here  might  seem  to  be  iniquity  enough, 
but  it  is  not  all.  To  disarm  criticism  and 
wholly  blind  its  ignorant  dupes,  it  has  sto- 
len the  banner  of  Christ,  and  wholly  so- 
phisticated the  teachings  of  Jesus.  It  thus 
not  only  claims  a  place  among  the  religions 
of  the  world,  but  claims  to  be  the  one,  only 
and  true  religion.  It  demands  that  it  be 
made  the  Keligion  of  the  State  to  the  ex- 
clusion of  all  others. 

It  has  done,  and  is  everywhere  doing,  its 


Roman  Clericalism  283 

utmost  to  secure  political  power,  with  the 
declared  object  and  end  in  view  to  enforce 
obedience  to  its  claims.  Not  only  with  its 
ignorant  and  demoralized  followers,  but 
everywhere  the  superstitious  reverence  for 
the  very  name  of  religion  disarms  opposi- 
tion and  enables  it  to  carry  on  its  war  of 
conquest  under  this  Jesuitical  subterfuge. 

It  preaches  the  religion  of  Jesus  with  all 
the  images  and  mummeries  of  Paganism 
added  thereto.  It  practices  every  trickery 
and  resorts  to  every  crime  to  gain  its  dia- 
bolical ends.  It  thus  demoralizes  Virtue 
and  deifies  Vice. 

It  has  done  more  to  prevent  the  reign  of 
peace,  and  to  retard  the  Brotherhood  of 
Man  as  lived  and  taught  by  Jesus,  than  all 
other  agencies  combined.  It  is  the  one  gi- 
gantic, relentless,  conscienceless  Menace  to 
Civilization. 

It  has  from  the  beginning  manifested 
greed  for  wealth.  It  has  not  only  robbed 
the  poor  of  their  scanty  store  during  life, 
but  by  that  most  colossal  fraud  of  claiming 
power  over  the  destiny  of  the  soul  after 
death,  it  has  taken  (under  the  bugaboo  of 
superstition  and  fear)  the  widow's  mite 


284 The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

and  bread  from  the  children's  mouths  as 
the  price  of  Masses  for  the  dead.  It  now 
unites  in  its  greed  for  dominion  all  of  the 
abominations  of  Mammon  Worship,  all  the 
superstitious  fear  of  death  and  all  of  the 
ignorant  mummery  of  Paganism  in  the 
name  of  the  religion  of  the  Christ. 

This  World  Power — for  it  exists  in  near- 
ly every  part  of  the  habitable  globe — un- 
blushingly  proclaims  a  Double  Doctrine, 
and  undertakes  to  lay  both  God  and  Mam- 
mon under  tribute  to  its  ambition.  To  the 
multitude,  with  its  priests,  sodalities,  and 
institutions,  it  assumes  a  lowly  garb  and 
mien,  holds  aloft  the  crucified  Kedeemer, 
proclaims  charity  and  proffers  the  forgive- 
ness of  sins  as  the  price  of  blind  obedience 
to  its  authority.  Thus  it  gains  the  atten- 
tion of  the  ignorant,  the  superstitious,  and 
those  under  the  dominion  of  fear. 

Its  arrogant,  autocratic  Hierarchy,  un- 
der cover  of  this  mantle  of  the  Man  of  Sor- 
rows which  it  holds  up  to  the  world,  not 
only  outrages  every  principle  of  morals, 
practices  every  vice  and  tramples  on  every 
precept  of  the  Christ,  but  boldly  and  arro- 
gantly assuming  the  mien  of  the  aristocrat, 


Roman  Clericalism 285 

struts  in  royal  robes  bedecked  with  jewels, 
drinks  and  feasts  like  their  prototypes,  the 
Eoman  Caesars. 

Inculcating  purity  and  celibacy,  it  robs 
and  revels  in  debauchery,  and  while  incul- 
cating poverty  in  the  priest  it  robs  the  poor 
of  the  hard-earned  pence  and  steals  the 
widow's  mite  in  order  that  it  may  live  in 
luxury  and  debauchery.  No  autocrat  known 
to  human  history  has  ever  equaled  its  ar- 
rogance, assumption  and  air  of  pride  and 
contempt  for  all  beneath  its  authority. 

This  Hierarchy  blasphemously  assumes 
to  derive  its  power  and  authority  direct 
from  God  whose  Vice-gerent  it  claims  to 
be.  It  claims  to  stand  in  the  place  and 
speak  in  the  name  of  Christ.  No  interme- 
diary for  them!  No  question  of  "heredi- 
tary succession,"  no  toppling  of  the 
"Throne  of  St.  Peter."  They  assume  to 
hold  it  direct  from  God  Almighty  and  to 
curse  all  who  deny  their  claim!  They  are 
' '  the  sole  and  last  Judge  of  the  consciences 
of  men. ' '  They  recognize  no  other  author- 
ity than  their  own  and  claim  the  power  "to 
bind  or  loose  on  earth  and  in  heaven." 

His   Satanic   Majesty  could  not   claim 


286 The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

more  power  or  exercise  that  so  gained  with 
more  diabolical  cunning  and  effrontery. 

How  have  they  gained  this  power,  and 
how  are  they  able  to  exercise  it  so  brazenly 
and  with  such  effrontery,  with  so  little  pro- 
test from  civilized  man? 

Take  the  College  of  Cardinals  and  the 
Eoman  Hierarchy  alone.  Separate  them 
from  the  work  of  Priest  and  Nun,  the  os- 
tentatious "charities,"  the  claim  of  the  re- 
ligion of  Jesus  and  the  ceremonial  mum- 
meries practiced  with  obeisance  to  the 
Christ,  and  the  Eoman  Hierarchy  would 
meet  the  execrations  of  civilized  man.  Here 
then  in  sophisticating  the  religion  of  Jesus 
and  making  it  a  pretense,  a  cloak  for  their 
diabolism,  they  gain  their  power  and  es- 
cape execration. 

But  how,  we  ask,  could  such  a  gigantic 
fraud  be  perpetrated  without  protest?  It 
proceeds  from  two  dogmas,  and  by  thus 
appealing  on  the  one  hand  to  a  "Mystery," 
and  on  the  other  relying  on  ignorant  cred- 
ulity and  the  sanctity  of  and  reverence  for 
Jesus,  it  is  able  to  humbug  the  world. 

These  two  dogmas  are  the  Immaculate 
Conception  and  the  Divinity  of  Jesus.  No 


Roman  Clericalism  287 

one  in  the  Church  or  out  of  it  pretends  to 
understand  or  undertakes  to  explain  these 
"Divine  Mysteries."  They  thus  offer  a 
Fetish,  a  Bugaboo,  upon  which  the  Hier- 
archy seizes,  claims  to  be  at  once  the  au- 
thority and  the  interpreter,  and  as  the 
price  of  blind  obedience  promises  to  take 
care  of  the  Mystery  and  answer  for  the  re- 
sults. The  ignorant  and  superstitious  rab- 
ble believe,  fear,  tremble  and  obey!  And 
so  they  keep  the  Hierarchy  in  power. 

Now  where  stands  Protestantism  at  this 
point!  In  spite  of  all  its  protests,  and  in 
the  face  of  its  nearly  two  hundred  sects  and 
schisms,  it  is  unconsciously  the  aider  and 
abetter  of  the  Roman  Hierarchy.  Eome 
"laughs  in  its  sleeve"  and  cherishes  only 
contempt  for  Protestantism.  It  carries  off 
the  spoils  and  avails  itself  of  the  aid  which 
Protestantism  gives  in  holding  down  its 
monstrous  claim. 

Protestantism  would  fight  as  strenuously 
and  as  bitterly  perhaps  for  the  dogmas  of 
the  Immaculate  Conception  and  the  special 
Divinity  of  Jesus  as  would  Eome  itself.  It 
is  in  either  case  a  relic  of  superstition  and 
is  held  as  an  "incomprehensible  mystery," 


288 The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

Protestantism  leaves  it  there  as  an  article 
of  faith,  as  an  essential  dogma.  But  Rome 
takes  advantage  of  it  for  secular  power 
and  as  a  cloak  for  all  its  preposterous 
claims  and  diabolical  practices. 

Protestantism,  with  all  its  protests  since 
the  time  of  Luther,  is  still  the  unconscious 
abetter  of  the  Roman  Pontiff. 

It  clearly  should  be  borne  in  mind  that 
this  whole  question  is  one  of  Interpretation 
solely,  and  that  this  interpretation  received 
by  Catholic  and  Protestant  alike  originated 
with  ignorant  and  superstitious  monks 
many  centuries  ago.  No  man,  be  he  wise 
or  foolish,  priest  or  layman,  can  alter  by 
interpretation  the  facts  regarding  the  na- 
ture, the  mission,  or  the  teaching  of  Jesus. 

These  old  monks  were  totally  ignorant  of 
any  method  by  which  Jesus  the  Man  could 
become  the  Master  Christ  except  through 
miracle  and  mystery.  Hence  they  gave 
their  interpretation  through  ignorance  and 
superstition. 

That  Jesus  was  both  Man  and  Master 
and  hence  Christos  is  undeniable.  The 
question  now  is,  shall  mankind  accept  the 
interpretation  of  the  ignorant  monks  of 


Roman  Clericalism 289 

fifteen  hundred  years  ago,  or  that  of  the 
present  age  of  enlightenment,  civilization 
and  evolution? 

The  old  interpretation  is  the  bulwark  of 
Roman  Clericalism,  by  which  it  misinter- 
prets the  true  religion  of  Jesus  and  claims 
dominion  of  the  world.  It  thus  attempts 
to  enforce  its  claims  and  secure  the  domin- 
ion by  every  sophistry,  subterfuge,  political 
trick  and  every  crime  known  to  civilized 
or  uncivilized  man.  We  need  to  redeem 
the  Redeemer  from  this  most  colossal  out- 
rage of  all  time. 

The  crime  is  not  only  against  the  Christ 
and  his  pure  and  undefiled  religion  of 
which  mankind  is  thus  cheated  and  his  re- 
ligion "made  of  no  effect,"  but  the  very 
essence,  principle  and  process  which  in  the 
normal  and  higher  evolution  made  Jesus 
to  become  the  Christ,  which  belongs  to  man, 
and  was  intended  by  Jesus  in  his  preaching 
and  mission  to  be  transmitted  to  Humanity, 
is  annulled,  abrogated,  obscured  and 
brought  to  naught  by  Roman  Clericalism. 

Intelligent  Choice,  Rational  Volition  and 
Personal  Responsibility  are  not  only  the 
whole  essence  of  the  teaching  and  ministry 


290 The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

of  Jesus,  the  "Way,  the  Truth,  and  the 
Light"  by  which  Jesus  became  the  Christ, 
but  these  are  the  principles  that  determine 
the  evolution  of  every  "son  of  man." 

The  Roman  Hierarchy,  by  denying  them 
as  potent  in  the  life  and  nature  of  Jesus, 
deny  them  equally  to  man.  In  their  place 
are  put  the  Vicarious  Atonement,  which  an- 
nuls Personal  Responsibility,  and  prevents 
the  normal  higher  evolution ;  and  as  a  mis- 
erable subterfuge  the  Church  assumes  to 
"forgive  sin"  as  the  price  of  blind  obedi- 
ence. 

Having  shrouded  and  obscured  the  nat- 
ural life  of  Jesus  by  mystery  and  miracle ; 
having  made  its  own  interpretation  ortho- 
dox and  all  others  heresy ;  having  styled  it- 
self the  "sole  and  last  judge  of  the  con- 
sciences of  men, ' '  Roman  Clericalism  pro- 
ceeds deliberately  to  violate  every  precept 
and  break  every  commandment  of  Jesus, 
and  to  justify  it  "In  His  Name." 

The  sin  of  Pilate  and  the  crucifixion  were 
nothing  compared  to  this.  It  was  a  Cleric 
and  a  professed  representative  of  Christ 
who  when  asked  by  his  soldiers  how  they 
were  to  distinguish  the  faithful  from  heret- 


Roman  Clericalism  291 

ics,  replied,  "Kill  them  all.  God  will  rec- 
ognize his  own. ' '  Following  this  command 
thirty  thousand  men,  women  and  children 
were  slaughtered. 

No  Italian  brigand  was  ever  half  so  ra- 
pacious, cruel  and  bloodthirsty,  kill  though 
they  may  for  gold,  or  hold  for  ransom.  The 
tiger  kills  for  food,  but  for  sheer  wanton 
love  of  murder  the  Cleric  bears  the  palm. 
This  is  the  beast  in  human  form  that  is  to 
interpret  the  nature,  speak  in  the  name  and 
be  obeyed  in  the  place  of  the  Christ. 

This  abomination  is  made  possible 
through  the  ignorant  and  superstitious  rev- 
erence— not  for  the  Christ,  or  for  Jesus  as 
he  was  and  is — but  for  the  crude,  absurd 
and  wholly  false  interpretation  that  with 
mystery  and  miracle  have  concealed  the 
Christ  and  put  this  abomination  in  his 
stead.  If  you  deny  the  interpretation  you 
are  accused  of  denying  the  Christ,  declared 
a  heretic,  and  (so  long  as  the  Cleric  had  the 
power)  fit  only  for  a  bonfire  here  and  here- 
after. 

And  all  this  diabolism  passes  even  in  this 
Twentieth  Century  for  "Beligion."  God 
save  the  mark,  and  protect  the  religion  of 


292  The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

the  Humanities  and  the  Beatitudes!  No 
other  such  foul  and  festering  blotch  can 
elsewhere  be  found  on  the  face  of  human- 
ity, and  it  affronts  the  present  age  with  all 
the  arrogance  of  a  Koman  Cardinal  almost 
without  a  protest. 

How  much  real  progress,  Brother  Prot- 
estant, are  you  making  in  * '  converting  the 
world  to  Christ  ? ' '  Your  churches  are  emp- 
ty. Mammon  Worship  and  Commercialism 
have  well-nigh  destroyed  them.  The 
"Boss"  and  political  rottenness  fester  in 
our  cities ;  and  the  Bulls  and  Bears  of  the 
Stock  Exchange,  the  watering  of  stocks  and 
gambling  in  food  stuffs  represent  our  Na- 
tional Deity  and  its  worship. 

Do  you  still  think  that  in  such  an  age 
mystery  and  miracle  can  stand  as  repre- 
sentative of  true  Eeligion  ?  Can  you  not  see 
that  when  by  mystery  and  miracle  you  have 
separated  Jesus  from  the  nature  and  life 
of  man  you  have  "made  him  of  no  ac- 
count," annulled  his  example  and  set  at 
naught  all  his  Humanities  and  Beatitudes  f 

"These  are  they  that  testify  of  him."  It 
was  by  and  through  these  that  he  became 
the  Christ.  He  promised  his  disciples  who 


Roman  Clericalism 293 

followed  him  in  spirit  and  in  truth  that 
they  should  do  "greater  things'*  than  he 
had  done.  How  could  this  be  possible  if  his 
whole  nature  were  separated  from  theirs 
by  an  impassable  gulf  of  mystery  and  mir- 
acle ?  How  could  it  be  if  he  were  divine  in 
a  sense  beyond  their  attainment? 

The  Immaculate  Conception,  the  Divinity 
of  Jesus  in  a  mystical  and  miraculous  sense 
and  the  Vicarious  Atonement  that  annuls 
all  personal  responsibility,  have  completely 
set  at  naught  the  real  mission  of  Jesus  to 
the  human  race. 

The  Clericalism  built  upon  this  founda- 
tion is  the  greatest  possible  menace  to  civ- 
ilization. It  dethrones  virtue  and  deifies 
vice.  It  encourages  license  in  the  place  of 
self-restraint.  It  annuls  personal  respon- 
sibility, the  one  principle  which  builds 
character,  promotes  self-restraint  and 
tends  to  enlightenment  and  civilization. 

It  fills  almshouses  with  paupers,  hos- 
pitals with  wrecks  from  self-indulgence, 
prisons  with  criminals  under  the  specious 
plea  of  forgiveness  of  sin.  It  holds  the  rab- 
ble in  ignorance  that  they  may  the  more 
readily  yield  obedience  through  supersti- 


294 The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

tion  and  fear,  be  exploited  to  fill  the  cof- 
fers of  greed,  and  furnish  to  an  age  of 
Mammon  and  materialism  that  wealth 
which  is  the  engine  of  power  to  the  Cleric 
equally  with  the  political  Boss  and  Com- 
mercial Magnate. 

The  Double  Doctrine  of  the  Church  of 
Borne  justifies  all  this,  carrying  aloft  the 
banner  of  Jesus  and  claiming  to  be  his  sole 
representative  among  the  children  of  men. 
While  depraving  and  demoralizing  man- 
kind it  annuls  and  abrogates  the  entire  life 
and  mission  of  Jesus  to  man.  The  Double 
Doctrine  of  Borne  is  thus  a  double  curse  to 
humanity  and  a  menace  to  civilization. 

Protestants  dare  not  protest  because 
they  lack  either  the  intelligence  to  perceive 
or  the  courage  to  declare  how  false  is  the 
interpretation  placed  by  Clericalism  on  the 
nature  and  life  of  the  Man  of  Sorrows  who 
was  everything  that  Clericalism  is  not. 

If  Protestants  point  to  their  lives  and 
character  as  essentially  different  from 
those  of  many  Boman  Clerics  it  only  the 
more  condemns  the  false  interpretation 
that  makes  the  Cleric  possible.  It  should 
only  determine  them  all  the  more  to  rescue 


Roman  Clericalism 295 

the  Man  of  Sorrows  from  his  diabolical 
captors  and  restore  him  to  the  heart  of 
Humanity  and  the  natural  life  of  man. 

If  they  fail  to  do  this  what  will  happen? 
Anarchy  and  confusion  will  reign  among 
the  children  of  men.  Clericalism,  now  put- 
ting forth  all  its  energies  to  amass  wealth 
and  gain  political  power  and  massing  its 
ignorant  hordes  as  voters,  denying  alle- 
giance to  any  other  power  on  earth  or  in 
heaven,  will  dominate  this  country  as  the 
autocrat  dominated  France;  and  down- 
trodden humanity  will  write  another  Mar- 
seillaise and  erect  another  guillotine  for 
slaughter;  for — 

"Ever  the  Truth  comes  uppermost, 
Ever  is  Justice  done." 

The  "Second  Coming  of  Christ'*  may  in- 
deed be  "with  armies  and  banners".  Such 
is  the  lesson  of  history.  Such  is  the  Neme- 
sis that  follows  all  "inhumanity  to  man." 

Clericalism  is  the  Worst  Foe  of  Man  be- 
cause it  keeps  him  in  ignorance  and  annuls 
and  subverts  the  nature  and  mission  of 
Christ  and  of  every  principle  upon  which 
man's  higher  evolution  depends.  Jesus 


296 The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

was  the  Elder  Brother,  the  * '  Forerunner, ' ' 
the  Exemplar  of  all  that  man's  higher  evo- 
lution is  and  the  principles  and  practices 
upon  which  it  depends.  His  real  mission 
was  and  is  to  teach,  to  practice  and  to  ex- 
emplify this  Law  of  man's  higher  evolu- 
tion. Otherwise  what  but  sarcasm  was  it 
for  him  to  give  to  his  disciples  the  injunc- 
tion, "Be  ye  perfect,  even  as  your  Father 
in  heaven  is  perfect.'*? 

If  perfection  of  man  in  the  Christ  sense 
were  impossible  how  cruel  and  tantalizing 
for  him  to  issue  such  an  injunction!  He 
declared  that  those  who  do  his  will  and 
practice  his  precepts  are  his  true  disciples ; 
and  a  mere  matter  of  belief,  the  ignorant 
opinions  of  men,  have  been  allowed  to  stand 
for  ages  in  the  place  of  all  such  practice. 
The  " heretic ",  the  " sinner",  the  "lost 
soul",  have  been  those  who  denied  the  ig- 
norant interpretation  of  the  Priesthood, 
even  where  they  practiced  the  precepts  of 
Jesus.  The  better  the  practice,  where  the 
dogma  was  denied,  the  worse  the  heretic. 

Every  honest  man  and  woman  who  loves 
justice  and  feels  "the  touch  of  kindness 
that  makes  the  whole  world  akin"  ought  to 


Roman  Clericalism 297 

hate,  loathe  and  abhor  the  arrogance,  ego- 
tism and  brutality  that  place  their  own  ig- 
norant interpretation  above  the  life  of  the 
Christ  and  undertake  to  force  it  upon  hu- 
manity by  knavish  trickery,  and  every  en- 
gine of  cruelty  and  brutality  known  to  bar- 
barism. Those  who  practice  this  barbarity 
are  degenerates  masquerading  in  the  man- 
tle of  Jesus.  Those  who  countenance  it 
through  ignorance  and  fear  are  in  the 
worst  of  company,  to  say  the  least. 

It  should  be  distinctly  remembered  that 
by  Clericalism  is  meant  the  official  Roman 
Hierarchy.  The  majority  of  the  priesthood 
and  the  ignorant  populace  know  little  or 
nothing  of  the  Double  Doctrine  of  the 
Church  of  Rome.  Their  sole  obligation  is 
Obedience  to  the  Hierarchy.  The  Pope  is 
merely  a  figurehead  "elected"  or  "assas- 
sinated" by  the  "College  of  Cardinals." 
The  Cardinals  and  the  Jesuits  are  the  ex- 
ecutives. 

No  other  such  organization  has  ever  ex- 
isted on  earth  or  disgraced  the  name  of 
humanity.  Their  power  consists  in  the  per- 
fection of  the  organization,  the  secrecy  of 
their  policy,  the  wealth  that  they  are  so 


298 The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

fast  accumulating,  the  absolute  despotism 
of  their  rule  and  the  dogma  of  obedience 
from  all  subordinates.  The  Pope  issues 
the  Decree,  but  the  Cardinals  prepare  and 
dictate  the  verdict. 

One  proposed  candidate  for  the  "Chair 
of  St.  Peter"  has  declared  since  the  last 
election  that  he  feared  assassination  from 
one  of  the  Cardinal  parties  had  he  been 
elected.  Good  "Politics"  this,  for  Rome 
or  Constantinople !  And  this  is  the  Power 
that  is  determined  to  ' l  make  America  Cath- 
olic", and  dictate  her  laws  without  protest 
or  revision.  Archbishop  Ireland  says, 
"God  wills  it!  and  our  hearts  leap  with 
Crusader  enthusiasm." 

There  is  not  a  fact  in  Nature,  nor  a  sin- 
gle analogy,  nor  an  explanation  that  any 
intelligent  individual  has  put  forth  or  can 
accept  in  support  of  the  Immaculate  Con- 
ception. There  is  not  a  fact  recorded  in 
the  Gospels,  nor  in  any  reference  to,  nor 
account  of  the  life  of  Jesus,  that  shows  him 
to  have  been  divine  in  any  extra-human 
sense. 

Jesus  seems  to  have  been  a  remarkable 
child,  when  at  the  age  of  twelve  he  dis- 


Roman  Clericalism 299 

puted  with  the  elders  in  the  Temple.  From 
the  age  of  twelve  to  his  thirtieth  year  he 
disappeared  as  though  the  earth  had  swal- 
lowed him,  as  it  was  said  to  have  concealed 
Melchizedek  at  its  center. 

This  remarkable  boy  of  twelve  returned 
at  the  age  of  thirty  to  begin  his  ministry. 
It  is  far  more  than  likely,  and  may  present- 
ly be  proven  beyond  all  controversy,  that 
Jesus  spent  these  eighteen  years  with  the 
''Wise  Men  from  the  East,"  who  visited 
him  at  his  nativity.  They  were  wise  enough 
to  know  of  his  birth  in  spite  of  its  obscur- 
ity. No  explanation  has  been  given  of  the 
saying  that  ; '  Jesus  was  made  a  priest  for- 
ever after  the  order  of  Melchizedek. ' ' 

The  difference  between  the  miraculous 
powers  attributed  to  Jesus  (for  which  there 
is  nothing  but  dogma  and  the  interpreta- 
tions of  ignorant  priests)  and  the  same 
powers  possessed  as  the  result  of  special 
training  and  instruction,  giving  rise  to  a 
normal  evolution  through  a  knowledge  of 
and  conformity  to  natural  and  spiritual 
laws,  is  very  great  indeed. 

In  either  case  Jesus  remains  the  same. 

But  in  the  latter  case  his  powers,  life  and 


300 The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

teaching  offer  the  greatest  promise,  hope 
and  encouragement  to  man,  as  something 
to  be  striven  after  and  attained. 

If  this  be  true,  and  there  is  such  a  high- 
way of  holiness  and  of  achievement  opened 
by  Jesus  to  the  present  age,  it  is  a  jewel  of 
knowledge  beyond  all  price.  Any  man  or 
body  of  men  who  should  ignorantly  or  wan- 
tonly destroy  this  jewel  and  deprive  man 
of  its  light  must  be  counted  as  man's  worst 
enemy. 

The  dogma  of  the  Vicarious  Atonement ; 
the  forgiveness  or  absolution  of  sins  for 
a  financial  consideration;  the  putting  of 
the  burden  on  the  Man  of  Sorrows  and  do- 
ing nothing  for  oneself;  the  lip  service 
that  pretends  to  adore,  and  the  life  that 
repudiates  and  denies — this  is  the  role  of 
Eoman  Clericalism.  It  is  this  that  is  of- 
fered to  man  and  enforced  by  every  anath- 
ema and  every  crime,  in  place  of  the  Truth 
in  the  life  of  Jesus  the  Christ.  No  greater 
crime  has  ever  been  perpetrated  on  the 
children  of  men  than  this  of  Clericalism. 

Intelligent  Choice,  Eational  Volition  and 
a  deep  and  abiding  sense  of  Personal  Re- 
sponsibility are  everywhere  recognized  as 


Roman  Clericalism 301 

the  conditions  of  Individual  Evolution. 
The  criminal  laws  of  the  civilized  world 
and  the  standards  of  ethics  and  right  liv- 
ing in  every  enlightened  community  recog- 
nize these  principles  as  basic.  Nothing 
else  can  logically  be  drawn  from  the  Gos- 
pels and  the  teachings  of  Jesus. 

Roman  Clericalism  practically  repudi- 
ates and  denies  these  basic  principles  and 
puts  in  their  place  the  dogma  of  obedience 
to  blind  authority.  It  thus  purposely  keeps 
the  people  in  ignorance  of  the  truth,  that 
it  may  exercise  its  authority  and  satisfy 
its  greed  for  gold.  It  rests  its  authority 
on  ignorance,  superstition  and  fear.  It 
plays  upon  these,  counts  upon  them,  ex- 
ploits them. 

Clericalism  has  done  more  to  retard  civ- 
ilization, more  to  degrade  and  demoralize 
man,  than  all  other  agencies  combined.  It 
is  like  a  physician  who  should  spread  pes- 
tilence far  and  near  deliberately,  secretly 
and  with  consummate  cunning,  in  order  to 
reap  a  rich  harvest  from  disease  and 
death. 

It  has  not  done  this  ignorantly,  but  de- 
signedly, as  its  " Double  Doctrine"  abund- 


302 The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

antly  shows.  It  is  cunning,  relentless,  God- 
less. It  profanely  claims  to  speak  in  the 
name  of  Christ  and  as  God's  Vice-gerent. 
It  is,  therefore,  the  most  colossal  menace 
to  the  civilization  of  the  Twentieth  Cen- 
tury and  the  worst  enemy  of  man.  It  unites 
in  the  closest  communion  with  Mammon 
Worship  and  becomes  a  double-headed 
monster.  It  is  the  Beast  of  the  Apoca- 
lypse. 

There  is  nothing  in  Protestantism  that 
in  any  way  compares  with  Roman  Clerical- 
ism. There  is  no  centralization  of  power, 
no  dogma  of  obedience.  The  result  at  this 
point  is  the  breaking  up  of  Protestant 
Christianity  into  nearly  two  hundred  sects, 
or  denominations.  In  place,  however,  of 
this  centralization  of  power  and  dogma  of 
obedience  there  is  the  canon  of  "Ortho- 
doxy. ' ' 

Here  the  three  dogmas  already  referred 
to,  viz.,  the  Immaculate  Conception,  the 
Divinity  of  Christ  and  the  Vicarious 
Atonement,  constitute  a  trinity  of  beliefs. 
If  we  add  the  dogma  of  the  plenary  in- 
spiration of  the  Bible,  we  shall  have  the 
line  of  general  agreement. 


Roman  Clericalism 303 

The  Unitarians,  who  accept  none  of 
these  dogmas,  are  of  course  classed  as  un- 
orthodox. There  has  recently  been  shown 
a  strong  disposition  amongst  the  more  ad- 
vanced and  intelligent  clergy  to  break 
away  from  the  canons  of  Orthodoxy.  This 
is  specially  apparent  in  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church;  while  on  the  other 
hand,  and  especially  in  England,  there  is 
a  secret  movement  well  under  way  in  what 
is  known  as  High  Church  to  go  bodily 
over  to  Kome. 

From  all  these  conditions  and  signs  of 
the  times  it  is  easy  to  discern  the  trend  of 
events  and  the  doom  of  dogma.  Few  of 
the  more  intelligent  class  of  Protestants 
hold  the  dogmas  of  the  Church  without 
mental  reservation.  The  lower  classes  re- 
pudiate them  with  scorn  and  contempt  in 
favor  of  Socialism,  often  based  on  the 
teachings  of  Jesus;  while  the  wealthy 
classes  are  given  to  Mammon  "Worship  and 
Materialism.  Or,  if  they  regard  religion 
at  all,  it  is  in  the  garb  of  the  pomp  and 
show  of  ceremonialism. 

Out  from  all  these  elements  of  religion 
and  superstition  there  is  slowly  but  surely 


304 The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

taking  form  the  Religion  of  Humanity. 
Founded  upon  no  dogma  of  interpretation, 
it  is  slowly  and  with  increasing  force  and 
clearness,  recognizing  and  promulgating 
the  pure  religion  of  Jesus,  so  long  ob- 
scured and  set  at  naught  by  dogmatic  the- 
ology. It  recognizes  the  Humanities  and 
the  Beatitudes  and  emphasizes  Loving 
Kindness  and  consideration  for  others.  It 
endeavors  to  lift  the  burdens  of  the  poor, 
to  enlighten  the  ignorant  and  so  to  spread 
the  reign  of  peace  and  good  will  among 
the  children  of  men. 

Among  its  promoters  and  philanthrop- 
ists are  hundreds  of  writers  of  books,  and 
in  periodicals  and  newspapers,  workers  in 
slums  and  college  settlements,  organized 
charities,  prison  reforms;  and  in  nearly 
every  direction  and  every  walk  in  life  they 
say  the  kindly  word,  extend  the  helping 
hand  and  do  what  Jesus  did.  In  place  of 
arguing  and  wrangling  over  his  Divinity 
they  exemplify  his  Humanity.  Surely  they 
heal  the  sick  and  practice  the  doctrine  of 
Love  to  the  poor. 

These  are  they,  coming  out  of  every  Na- 
tion and  speaking  every  tongue  that  testify 


Roman  Clericalism 305 

to  the  Divinity  in  man,  that  was,  that  is 
and  ever  shall  be  the  Christ,  the  Redeem- 
er. They  are  working  on  the  lines  of  the 
higher  evolution  through  which  and  by 
which  Jesus  became  the  Christ,  the  Anoint- 
ed, the  Son  of  the  Father.  And  they  too 
shall  attain  Divinity. 

When  Priestcraft  and  Clericalism  have 
become  curious  fossils  in  the  story  of  the 
higher  evolution  of  humanity,  and  the 
"  trinity"  of  dogmas  like  a  trilobite  on  the 
shore  of  the  infinite  ocean  of  truth,  these 
workers  for  Humanity  will  clasp  hands  as 
Brothers  with  the  Man  of  Sorrows,  and 
share  with  Him  the  Mansions  of  the  Blest 
in  the  Father's  Kingdom. 

The  foregoing  is  a  plain,  unvarnished 
statement  of  facts  and  logical  deductions. 
While  the  author  has  set  naught  down  in 
bitterness  or  malice,  and  while  he  is  per- 
fectly well  aware  that  from  the  Cleric  he 
may  expect  only  personal  abuse  and  curses, 
the  issues  are  so  momentous  and  so  im- 
minent that  to  evade  them  or  soften  the 
crimes  referred  to  would  itself  be  a  great- 
er crime. 

The  appeal  is  made  here  especially  to 


306 The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

Freemasons,  for  reasons  elsewhere  abund- 
antly shown,  and  no  sincere  and  intelli- 
gent man  who  is  in  his  heart  a  just  and 
upright  Mason  can  avoid  the  issue  raised. 
If  he  be  a  lukewarm  and  indifferent  Mason, 
he  may  signify  his  indifference  by  the  cry 
that  " There  is  no  danger",  and  his  con- 
tempt by  a  complaisant  shrug  of  the 
shoulders.  Like  a  Jesuit  in  disguise,  he 
may  thus  carry  grist  to  the  Cleric's  mill 
and  receive  from  them  his  toll  of  con- 
tempt and  hatred,  equally  with  every  just 
and  upright  Mason. 

The  brief  outline  of  the  concepts  of 
man's  higher  evolution  at  the  beginning  of 
this  chapter,  are  also  the  concepts  upon 
which  the  whole  fabric  of  Freemasonry  is 
founded,  the  real  Genius  of  its  life  and 
work.  They  explain  the  nature,  the  min- 
istry and  the  life  of  Jesus.  It  was  in  strict 
conformity  to  these  that  Jesus  became 
Master,  and  was  the  Christ;  and  this 
Genius,  this  Concept,  this  Mastery,  was 
the  complete  reverse  of  Boman  Catholic 
Clericalism. 

Let  every  Mason  stand  for  his  altars  and 
their  Lights,  or  join  the  Cowans  and  the 


Roman  Clericalism 307 

Ruffians,  as  he  pleases ;  but  he  cannot  serve 
two  masters.  The  time  is  near  when  every 
Brother  will  be  obliged  to  choose.  How 
many  are  ready  to  stand  for  their  altars, 
just  and  upright,  facing  the  East  whence 
cometh  Light? 


"It  is  asserted  by  high  authority 
that  the  official  records  show  that 
during  the  eighteen  years  of  the 
Inquisitor-General  Torquemada,  10,- 
220  victims  were  burned,  6,860  con- 
demned and  burned  in  effigy  as  ab- 
sent or  dead,  and  97,321  subjected 
to  penalties  less  than  death." — 
King. 


THE  CRUSADE. 

Problems  change  continually.  Prin- 
ciples are  eternal. 

The  problem  of  civilization  has  shifted 
its  base.  Involving  as  it  does  at  all  times 
the  whole  of  humanity,  every  people,  kin- 
dred and  tongue  have  tried  this  problem 
in  different  ways.  Sometimes  it  has  been 
with  partial  and  temporary  success;  often 
with  utter  failure,  desolation  and  destruc- 
tion, like  ancient  Egypt.  Sometimes  the 
struggle  has  been  suddenly  ended  by  for- 
eign invasion,  like  that  of  Cambyses  "The 
Mad"  in  Egypt;  and  then  again  ruin  has 
come  from  rottenness  at  the  heart  of  a  na- 
tion or  a  people. 

The  Philosophy  of  History,  when  really 
understood,  and  with  due  consideration  of 
all  the  facts,  conditions  and  circumstances 
involved,  reveals  the  causes  of  both  suc- 
cess and  failure,  as  well  as  the  principles 
that  underlie  and  determine  results. 

309 


310 The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

The  hatefulness  of  oppression  and  the 
cruelty  of  religious  bigotry  and  persecu- 
tion sent  the  English  settlers  to  this  coun- 
try. It  became  an  asylum  for  the  op- 
pressed, with  '  *  Freedom  to  worship  God. ' ' 
They  formed  a  purely  secular  government 
and  provided  for  the  permanent  separa- 
tion of  Church  and  State. 

This  one  principle  denned  the  purpose 
and  represented  the  Genius  of  this  gov- 
ernment more  than  all  others  combined. 
A  Free  Country  with  equal  rights  for  all. 
A  government  of  the  people,  by  the  peo- 
ple, for  the  people,  with  special  privileges 
to  none. 

With  this  dominant  idea  of  a  Free  State 
and  a  Free  People  we  have  undertaken  to 
assimilate  people  of  every  nation,  kindred 
and  tongue,  to  naturalize  these  newcomers 
and  give  to  them  equal  rights  and  oppor- 
tunities. This  foreign  stream  is  now  add- 
ing over  a  million  a  year  to  our  popula- 
tion. 

Given  equal  rights  in  every  way,  if  these 
foreign-born  citizens  out-numbered  the  na- 
tive born,  there  would  be  nothing  to  pre- 
vent them  from  changing  altogether  the 


The  Crusade 311 

basis  and  character  of  this  government. 
The  expressed  will  of  the  majority  of  the 
people  represents  this  government. 

The  radical  distinction  between  the  Lat- 
in and  the  Anglo-Saxon  civilizations  has 
been  already  herein  clearly  defined.  The 
Latin  civilization  is  everywhere  on  the  de- 
cline. 

Spain  today  is  the  complete  embodiment 
of  its  Genius  and  its  fate.  It  is  ignorant, 
superstitious,  autocratic,  cruel,  and  very 
religious.  It  exploits,  oppresses  and  im- 
poverishes the  many  for  the  benefit  of  the 
few.  It  insists  on  the  union  of  Church  and 
State,  and  through  the  mummeries  of  su- 
perstition and  fear  holds  the  people  in 
bondage  while  the  Prince  and  Prelate  share 
the  honors  and  divide  the  spoils. 

The  Roman  Catholic  Hierarchy  repre- 
sents this  genius  of  the  Latin  race.  It  is 
in  the  strictest  sense  the  centralization  of 
power,  the  perfect  antithesis  of  democracy. 
It  has  not  a  single  element  in  common  with 
the  genius  of  the  Republic  of  America.  It 
is  in  politics  despotic,  and  in  religion 
but  modernized  Egyptian  Paganism.  It 
changes  its  methods  and  its  policy  in  order 


312 The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

to  secure  its  ends,  but  it  never  changes  its 
principles  or  its  aims.  It  represents  in 
spirit,  in  purpose  and  in  practical  results 
(as  fast  and  as  far  as  it  can  attain  them), 
an  arrogant,  proud,  grasping,  cruel  and 
relentless  Despotism. 

Through  its  so-called  religious  depart- 
ment it  plays  upon  the  ignorance,  supersti- 
tions and  fear  of  the  multitude.  It  claims 
jurisdiction  in  the  other  world  to  bless  or 
ban,  and  so  strengthens  its  earthly  despot- 
ism and  disarms  resistance.  It  thus  im- 
poverishes, degrades  and  demoralizes  the 
people  wherever  it  gains  either  religious  or 
political  power. 

It  plays  its  religion  against  all  politics, 
and  its  politics  against  all  religions  ex- 
cept its  own.  It  uses  force  and  cruelty 
(whenever  and  wherever  it  is  dominant) 
and  fraud,  secrecy  and  cunning  to  gain 
dominion.  As  already  shown,  this  same 
genius  under  another  name — the  Greek 
Catholic  Church  in  place  of  the  Holy  Cath- 
olic Church — is  responsible  for  all  the  des- 
potism and  cruelty  in  Russia,  and  likewise 
for  the  degradation  of  its  people. 

This  is  the  power  that  today  is  engaged 


The  Crusade 313 

in  a  Crusade  in  this  country,  determined  to 
"make  America  Catholic. "  It  masquer- 
ades here  in  the  name  of  religion.  In  this 
garb  it  is  ostentatious,  pretentious  and  de- 
vout. It  commands  obedience  and  does  its 
utmost  to  counteract  the  influence  of  every 
one  of  our  free  institutions  upon  its  ad- 
herents. 

Its  main  point  of  attack  is  our  Secular, 
Free  Public  Schools.  It  fears  the  influence 
of  these  upon  the  rising  generation  of  its 
believers,  because  the  cultivation  of  intelli- 
gence without  religious  superstition  is  dan- 
gerous to  its  claim  of  obedience  and  des- 
potic authority.  It  is  a  maxim  of  the  Jes- 
uits from  their  inception,  that  the  early 
religious  education  of  the  child  determines 
the  status  of  the  man  or  woman.  It  must 
counteract  all  the  tendencies  to  freedom 
or  lose  its  hold  on  the  masses. 

Under  this  garb  and  pretense  of  religion, 
which  is  superstition  and  paganism  pure 
and  simple,  it  is  running  a  political  cam- 
paign. Its  religion  is  superstition ;  its  poli- 
tics secret,  cunning,  despotic  and  unscrup- 
ulous. Its  method  is  bargain  and  sale. 


314 The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

Civic  duty  or  any  element  of  patriotism  is 
wholly  wanting. 

The  solid  Catholic  vote  which  Clerical- 
ism is  able  to  count  on  and  deliver,  is  the 
sole  origin  of  Bossism  in  all  our  large 
cities.  It  uses  this  power  to  place  its  serv- 
ants and  tools  in  office  and  shamelessly 
pockets  the  graft  and  influence  of  the  of- 
fice so  created  or  controlled.  It  is  thus 
rapidly  accumulating  enormous  wealth, 
the  greatest  engine  of  power  in  a  commer- 
cial age. 

It  uses  its  wealth  to  build  Parochial 
Schools,  to  train  its  youths  in  obedience 
and  superstition.  It  then  clamors  for  a 
division  of  the  school  fund  to  support  the 
school  built  by  graft  and  exploitation.  In 
the  meantime  it  does  its  utmost  to  discred- 
it and  destroy  our  Free  Public  Schools.  To 
accomplish  this  it  resorts  to  the  Jesuitical 
trick  of  getting  Catholics  appointed  as 
teachers  in  the  very  schools  they  are  seek- 
ing to  discredit  and  destroy. 

As  already  stated,  more  than  seventy- 
five  per  cent  of  the  teachers  in  the  Public 
Schools  in  Chicago  and  Boston  are  thus 
Catholics.  He  who  sees  no  design  in  this, 


The  Crusade 315 

or  fails  to  see  the  cunning  hand  of  the  Jes- 
uit as  promoting  or  dictating  it,  or  who 
attributes  it  to  successful  competition  alone 
in  securing  appointment  as  teachers,  is 
either  ignorant  or  wilfully  blind.  It  is  the 
most  vital  part  of  the  Policy  of  the  Roman 
Catholic  Crusade  in  this  country  today. 

This  same  power  is  organizing,  consoli- 
dating and  drilling  its  Knights  of  Colum- 
bus and  similar  organizations.  It  may 
presently  supply  them  secretly  with  arms 
and  ammunition.  Catholics  are  directed 
to  form  these  organizations  in  every  par- 
ish, in  order  to  consolidate  its  young  men 
and  enable  them  to  vote  solid,  and  thus 
hold  the  balance  of  power.  Can  any  one 
doubt,  after  all  this,  that  so  far  as  Cathol- 
icism has  any  influence  in  this  country  it 
represents  the  union  of  Church  and  State, 
and  repudiates,  defies  and  seeks  to  destroy 
the  very  genius  of  this  Republic? 

All  efforts  to  counteract  or  destroy  Boss 
rule  in  our  large  cities  have  signally  failed. 
And  they  will  continually  fail,  because  no 
newspaper  will  clearly  and  honestly  define 
and  expose  the  real  origin  and  power  of 
Bossism.  It  is  the  solid  Catholic  vote 


316 The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

which  the  Cleric  is  able  to  deliver  for  a 
consideration.  The  Boss  counts  securely 
on  the  votes,  and  the  Cleric  as  securely 
on  the  revenue. 

It  is  not  necessary  that  the  Cleric  shall 
from  his  pulpit  order  his  followers  how  to 
vote.  It  is  only  necessary  to  report  that 
a  certain  party  or  candidate  "  favors  the 
cause/'  or  will  advocate  a  grant,  or  help 
to  build  a  Church  or  a  Parochial  School; 
and  his  army  of  obedience  is  quick  to  un- 
derstand and  obey. 

Boycott  is  also  a  sure  persuader  and  a 
purely  Catholic  invention.  It  is  thus  able 
to  edit  or  control  the  public  press  and  pre- 
vent any  of  these  things  from  being  hinted 
at  or  exposed  to  warn  the  public. 

Publishers  and  book  dealers  are  often 
handled  in  the  same  way.  Objectionable 
books  deemed  inimical  to  the  interests  of 
Rome  are  thus  suppressed  even  more  ef- 
fectually than  by  the  Index  which  more 
often  advertises  them  and  increases  their 
sale.  Many  of  these  large  dealers  will  not 
expose  for  sale,  even  where  they  carry  in 
stock,  books  thus  objected  to  by  Clerics. 
These  agents  of  Clericalism  are  so  numer- 


The  Crusade 317 

ous,  so  vigilant  and  so  cunning,  that  scarce- 
ly anything  deemed  important  escapes 
their  Argus  eye. 

The  larger  dealers  and  publishers  of 
books  have  a  syndicate  of  their  own,  and 
constitute  a  censorship  wholly  consistent 
with  their  own  interests,  extending  to  book 
reviews  and  advertisements  in  the  public 
press.  Eeviews  of  books  other  than  their 
own,  or  those  deemed  against  their  inter- 
est, find  scanty  room,  or  are  excluded  alto- 
gether. 

It  is  thus  that  intrinsic  merit  and  bene- 
ficent influence  are  sacrificed  to  commer- 
cialism. The  Politico-Cleric,  however,  ap- 
preciates the  situation  fully,  turns  it  into 
opportunity  and  is  able  to  bring  sufficient 
" influence"  to  bear  to  serve  the  interests 
of  his  party. 

In  the  Arena  for  July,  1907,  is  an  ar- 
ticle by  Thomas  McGrady,  for  fifteen  years 
a  Catholic  priest  and  thoroughly  familiar 
with  the  principles  and  the  discipline  of 
the  Church.  His  article  is  entitled,  "The 
Catholic  Church  and  Socialism."  It  is 
scholarly,  profound,  dispassionate,  and 
shows  the  most  intimate  acquaintance  with 


318 The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

the  attitude  of  the  Church  and  its  history 
and  relations  to  modern  progress. 

He  chose  to  retire  from  the  priesthood 
rather  than  conform  to  its  commands  re- 
garding the  interests  and  welfare  of  the 
common  people.  He  gives  a  very  careful 
analysis  of  the  relations  of  the  Church  to 
political  issues  and  parties.  He  shows  it 
to  have  been  always  allied  with  the  pluto- 
crat and  the  autocrat  against  the  common 
people.  He  shows  it  to  be  utterly  void  of 
all  moral  or  ethical  principle  of  its  own, 
advocating  one  thing  at  one  time  and  its 
precise  opposite  at  another,  putting  the 
seal  of  orthodoxy  and  infallibility  on  both. 

All  things  to  all  men,  but  everything  at 
all  times  for  Mother  Church.  Here  are 
morals  with  a  vengeance. 

Father  McGrady  shows  that  in  the 
* '  triple  attitude  of  defiance  and  condemna- 
tion, compromise  and  reconciliation,  sub- 
mission and  acceptation,  the  Church  main- 
tains that  she  has  never  changed. ' '  To  ad- 
mit change  or  defeat,  even  in  the  face  of 
her  own  records,  would  annul  Infallibility. 

Father  McGrady  points  out  some  of 
these  contradictions  and  ecclesiastical  som- 


The  Crusade 319 

ersaults.  He  shows  the  exhaustive  famil- 
iarity of  ecclesiastics  with  jurisprudence, 
diplomacy  and  politics. 

' '  For  three  hundred  years  they  have  de- 
feated all  the  efforts  of  judicial  lore  in 
England  to  enforce  the  laws  of  mortmain 
which  were  passed  to  prevent  the  growth 
of  vast  estates  in  the  possession  of  the 
monastic  institutions."  This  is  the  legal 
lore,  diplomacy  and  politics  that  will  pres- 
ently safeguard  the  immense  untaxed  real 
estate  of  the  Church  in  America. 

He  declares  the  Church  of  Rome  to  be 
"the  most  potent  psychological  factor 
since  the  dawn  of  history.  When  fear  is 
the  best  weapon,  she  is  relentless;  when 
courage  is  requisite,  she  is  equal  to  the 
occasion.  Persuasion  is  used  when  com- 
mand would  fail.  She  rewards  the  loyal 
and  efficient  servant  with  the  highest  hon- 
ors, and  she  visits  the  obstinate  with  ex- 
communication and  degradation." 

"  Ninety  per  cent  of  Frenchmen  are 
avowed  agnostics.  In  Italy  religion  is 
practically  dead,  the  temples  are  deserted, 
the  priests  are  called  beggars,  and  the 
Pope  is  treated  with  contempt." 


320 The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

"  Christianity  is  rapidly  dying  in  the 
kingdoms  of  its  early  birth.  *  *  *  Italy 
and  France  have  repudiated  the  Church. 
Catholic  sentiment  has  lost  its  influence 
over  the  Belgian  population,  and  religious 
reverence  is  rapidly  vanishing  in  Spain 
and  Austria. ' ' 

"In  the  foreign  countries  cited,  Catholic 
influence  is  destroyed,  and  Catholic  faith 
is  dead.  The  priests,  like  the  people,  are 
generally  freethinkers  and  have  no  sym- 
pathy with  the  pretensions  of  the  Papacy. ' ' 

* '  Catholic  Europe  has  been  burdened  by 
convents  and  monasteries  and  religious 
fraternities,  besides  the  ever-increasing 
army  of  secular  priests.  The  congrega- 
tions are  diminishing  and  the  revenues  are 
dwindling.  The  ecclesiastical  funds  in 
Italy  are  mainly  derived  from  offerings 
presented  by  the  faithful  in  other  lands." 

"It  will  be  a  long  time  before  similar 
conditions  prevail  in  America,  it  will  be  a 
long  time  before  the  Catholic  Church  loses 
her  power  in  this  country. ' ' 

"Rome  is  stronger  in  America  than  in 
any  other  land  beneath  the  sun,  and  it  is 
on  the  shores  of  the  Western  World  that 


The  Crusade 321 

she  is  determined  to  make  her  last  grand 
fight  for  universal  dominion." 

4  '  There  are  three  million  Catholic  voters 
in  this  Republic.  Although  the  Church 
claims  that  she  does  not  interfere  with  the 
politics  of  her  subjects,  nevertheless  she 
controls  their  votes." 

"It  is  immaterial  to  her  whether  the 
Democrat  or  the  Eepublican  is  elected,  but 
whenever  the  candidate  takes  a  position 
against  the  Church  or  advocates  a  meas- 
ure that  would  be  detrimental  to  the  pre- 
tensions of  the  Papacy,  or  the  interests  of 
the  Hierarchy,  he  is  destined  to  meet  his 
Waterloo." 

The  writer  cites  the  case  of  Judge  Ma- 
guire  in  California  and  shows  his  defeat 
by  Catholic  votes  made  solid  by  Father 
York. 

"Through  the  ballot  the  Catholic  Church 
is  the  mistress  of  the  situation.  She  can 
defeat  any  candidate,  blight  the  career  of 
the  politician,  and  control  the  action  of  the 
statesman.  She  forced  the  government  of 
the  United  States  to  send  its  representa- 
tive to  the  Vatican,  armed  with  plenipo- 
tentiary powers  to  grant  all  her  claims  in 


322 The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

the  Philippine  Islands. ' ' 

"She  affiliates  with  no  political  party, 
and  yet  she  dominates  the  two  great 
parties  of  this  country.  She  compels  the 
Democrats  and  the  Republicans  to  court 
her  patronage  and  seek  her  influence." 

"  Self-preservation,  the  first  law  of  na- 
ture, will  inspire  the  Church  to  cast  her 
lot  with  the  capitalist,  and  she  will  ever 
use  her  influence  in  the  perpetuation  of 
class  rule  and  the  dominion  of  wealth." 

"The  press  will  publish  no  communica- 
tion of  a  derogatory  character  against  the 
interests  of  the  Hierarchy,  and  the  Protest- 
ant pulpit  has  ceased  to  hurl  anathemas  at 
the  Vatican. 

* '  Presidents,  politicians,  statesmen,  finan- 
cial kings,  journalists  and  publishers  real- 
ize that  Rome  is  a  mighty  potentiality  on 
the  American  Continent,  and  they  court 
her  smiles  and  fear  her  frowns.  Rome 
uses  the  boycott  with  terrific  results.  With 
this  weapon  of  coercion  she  dominates  the 
political  and  the  commercial  sphere,  from 
the  ruler  of  the  nation  to  the  humblest 
merchant.*' 

And  so  this  insatiable  power  that  has 


The  Crusade 323 

impoverished,  degraded  and  demoralized 
the  people  of  the  Old  World  till  it  is  met 
with  hatred  and  derision  there,  when  noth- 
ing more  is  left  for  it  to  devour,  is  allowed 
to  carry  on  this  crusade  here;  and,  wrest- 
ing Freedom  from  the  New  World,  enact 
for  us  the  same  infernal  tragedy  in  the 
name  of  Eeligion,  and  with  the  banner  of 
the  Christ.  To  imagine  that  no  reckoning 
will  come  here,  as  it  has  at  last  come  in 
Eussia,  is  to  admit  that  the  impulse  of  evo- 
lution in  the  human  race  can  be  annulled 
and  all  civilization  set  at  naught. 

But  the  spectacle  of  seeing  every  Rom- 
anoff swept  into  the  Baltic,  as  a  final 
Nemesis,  would  be  a  tardy  and  inadequate 
atonement  for  the  misery,  despotism  and 
brutality  of  two  hundred  years,  and  the 
cries  of  the  exiled,  the  victims  of  dungeon 
and  the  knout,  and  all  of  the  horrors  put 
upon  the  Russian  people,  by  the  "Little 
Father"  in  the  name  of  religion,  and  by 
the  Czar  in  the  name  of  the  State. 

These  abominations  in  Europe,  however, 
arose  in  the  earlier  ages  before  the  advent 
of  modern  science.  Here  they  are  being 
inaugurated  in  the  face  of  civilization,  in 


324 The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

the  light  of  the  Twentieth  Century,  with 
the  object  lesson  of  all  their  horrors  and 
their  final  failure  in  Europe  before  us.  If 
we  permit  them  here,  we  are  parties  to 
the  crime. 

There  are  sins  of, omission  as  far-reach- 
ing and  disastrous  as  any  others.  Eternal 
vigilance  alone  can  safeguard  that  Lib- 
erty which  is  a  sacred  trust,  a  duty  no  less 
than  a  boon  and  a  blessing. 

If  it  took  England  three  hundred  years 
with  all  her  political  power,  judicial  learn- 
ing and  diplomacy,  to  enforce  the  laws  of 
mortmain  and  to  prevent  the  growth  of 
vast  estates  in  the  possession  of  the  mon- 
astic institutions,  how  long  will  it  take  us 
to  tax  or  to  control  them  in  any  way  here 
in  America? 

These  estates  are  enormously  on  the  in- 
crease, devouring  our  land  and  our  re- 
sources, and  contributing  not  one  farthing 
for  the  support  of  government.  They  are 
like  a  great  tumor  on  the  side  of  the  body 
politic,  eating  its  substance  and  consuming 
its  vitality.  We  could  tax  them  today  and 
at  least  check  their  growth,  but  that  would 
involve  innumerable  Protestant  and  other 


The  Crusade 325 

denominations,  and  self-interest  every- 
where would  defeat  such  a  measure. 

These  other  interests  are  scattered. 
Though  never  aggressive,  they  are  covet- 
ous and  devouring  like  Romanism.  They 
would  protect  Romanism  in  order  to  pro- 
tect themselves.  No  one  knows  this  better 
than  the  Roman  Cleric,  and  he  counts  on  it 
for  security. 

The  Supreme  Court  of  Ohio  has  made  a 
beginning  in  this  direction  by  limiting  the 
Church  holdings  exempt  from  taxation.  If 
the  matter  could  be  freely  discussed  in  the 
public  press,  this  grave  danger  might  be 
somewhat  averted. 

Now,  where  stands  Freemasonry  in  rela- 
tion to  this  Great  Crusade,  this  impending 
crisis,  this  menace  to  our  civilization  and 
to  Freemasonry  itself? 

Romanism  temporizes,  compromises, 
stoops  to  conquer  with  all  her  other  en- 
emies, but  never  with  Masonry.  She  curses 
it  openly  and  eternally,  and  uses  against 
it  every  weapon  in  her  measureless  and 
unscrupulous  resources. 

Masons  ought  to  feel  honored  in  belong- 
ing to  an  Order  thus  recognized  as  having 


326 The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

nothing  in  common  with  this  maleficent 
World  Power.  In  the  midst  of  all  her 
grand  schemes  and  diplomacy  to  conquer 
America,  the  Pontiff  pauses  to  curse  Mas- 
onry again  and  warn  his  army  of  obedients 
against  it. 

The  following  quotations  taken  from  Mr. 
King's  great  work,  are  found  in  an  En- 
cyclical of  the  Pope  against  Freemasons, 
issued  in  December,  1892 : 

"Permit  me  then,  in  addressing  you,  to 
point  to  Masonry  as  an  enemy  at  once  of 
God,  the  Church  and  our  country.  Once 
for  all,  recognize  it  practically  as  such 
and  guard  yourselves  against  such  a  for- 
midable enemy  with  all  the  arms  that  rea- 
son, conscience  and  faith  place  in  your 
hands.  *  *  *  Let  those,  then,  who  to 
their  great  misfortune  have  given  their 
names  to  any  of  these  Societies  of  perdi- 
tion, know  that  they  are  strictly  bound  to 
separate  themselves  from  it  if  they  do  not 
wish  to  remain  cut  off  from  the  Christian 
communion  and  lose  their  souls  in  time  and 
eternity." 

"Let  every  one  avoid  having  ties  of 
friendship  and  familiarity  with  people  sus- 


The  Crusade 327 

pected  of  belonging  to  Freemasonry." 
(Sic)  *  *  *  "Since  we  are  dealing 
with  a  sect  which  has  spread  itself  every- 
where, it  is  not  enough  to  be  on  the  de- 
fensive towards  it,  but  we  must  go  cour- 
ageously into  the  arena  and  meet  it,  as 
you  will  do,  dear  children,  by  opposing 
press  to  press,  school  to  school,  associa- 
tion to  association,  congress  to  congress, 
action  to  action." 

Masonry  is  thus  placed  on  a  par  with 
our  "Godless  Public  Schools",  both  of 
which  seem  to  be  in  the  Pontiff's  way,  both 
of  which  he  regards  as  ' '  societies  of  perdi- 
tion". They  must  contain  something  of 
real  force  to  have  excited  such  hysterical 
spasms  in  the  anatomy  of  the  Holy  Father. 

Now  listen  to  Eev.  Judge  in  an  editorial 
in  the  New  World  (Catholic)  published  in 
Chicago,  the  issue  of  April  7,  1906.  This 
editorial  was  called  out  by  the  proposed 
laying  of  the  cornerstone  to  the  new  Con- 
gressional building  in  Washington,  D.  C. : 

"Every  Catholic  whose  soul  has  not  been 
debauched  by  commercialism  loathes  Free- 
masonry. The  crippled  condition  of  the 
Church  in  France,  and  the  degeneracy  of  a 


328 The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

large  number  of  French  people,  are  direct- 
ly traceable  to  its  diabolical  influence. 
Catholic  priests  and  religious  of  both  sexes 
have  been  robbed  of  the  elementary  rights 
of  free  citizens  in  Catholic  Mexico  by  the 
same  agency." 

(How  can  Mexico  be  "Catholic"  and 
"Masonic"  at  the  same  time?  Catholics 
have  awakened.) 

The  editor  of  the  New  World  then  ad- 
dresses himself  to  the  President,  through  a 
whole  column,  and  at  last  gets  down  to  the 
stock  argument,  the  boycott: 

"Will  you,  Mr.  President,  force  the 
Catholics  of  the  United  States,  hitherto 
your  most  loyal  comrades  in  every  crisis 
of  your  life,  into  active  opposition  to  you 
in  the  future?  The  Federation  of  Catholic 
Societies  (N.  B.)  will  infallibly  sound  the 
tocsin,  and  all  their  Catholic  fellow-citi- 
zens, with  the  exception  of  the  devitalized 
specimens  that  hover  around  the  White 
House  or  lobby  in  the  Capitol,  with  no  as- 
set or  influence  except  their  own  unlim- 
ited egotism,  may  be  trusted  to  actively 
protest  against  the  most  notorious  official 


The  Crusade 329 

insult  that  has  ever  been  hurled  in  the 
United  States  against  their  Church." 

All  this  hysteria  is  in  regard  to  the  lay- 
ing of  a  cornerstone  in  a  Government 
building  with  Masonic  ceremonies,  a  cus- 
tom begun  by  Washington  and  continued 
from  that  time  to  the  present,  a  thing  not 
vital,  but  in  every  way  appropriate..  The 
President  risked  the  boycott.  He  happens 
to  be  a  Mason,  notwithstanding  Rev. 
Judge's  professions  of  friendship  hitherto. 

If  these  Eoman  agents  in  America  thus 
protest,  vilify  and  threaten  in  a  matter 
like  this,  what  will  they  not  do  in  matters 
of  more  serious  import?  History  shows 
that  they  hesitate  at  nothing,  from  lies  and 
slanders  to  murder,  to  gain  their  ends. 
And  when  defeated  they  curse  like  devils 
and  snarl  like  wild  beasts.  "Never  for- 
get an  injury  nor  forgive  an  enemy,"  is 
one  of  their  maxims.  "Vicars  of  Christ"! 

Professed  Christians  have  largely  ceased 
to  protest.  These  traitors  on  American 
soil  should  be  forced  to  stand  openly  and 
squarely  on  their  record.  They  and  their 
work  should  be  completely  illuminated  in 
the  light  of  the  Twentieth  Century. 


330 The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

These  are  some  of  the  features  of  the 
Eoman  Catholic  politico-ecclesiastical  Cru- 
sade as  conducted  in  "Free  America"  to- 
day, in  the  light  of  the  Twentieth  Century. 
These  plotters  and  traitors  to  all  our  free 
institutions  already  hold  and  use  the  bal- 
ance of  power.  How  much  further  shall 
they  be  allowed  to  go  before  we  call  a  halt 
and  demand  a  reckoning? 

How  shall  we  counteract  and  oppose 
their  influence!  I  am  appealing  solely  to 
Masons,  and  I  answer:  By  eternal  vig- 
ilance, and  by  united  opposition  at  the 
polls;  by  opposition  to  this  double-headed 
octopus  wherever  it  shows  its  head  or  con- 
ceals its  Jesuitical  folds.  It  can  be  un- 
earthed, exposed  and  routed,  but  it  will  re- 
quire "eternal  vigilance  as  the  price  of 
Liberty. " 

Two  million  Masons  who  are  voters  with 
the  influence  they  can  exercise  openly  and 
honestly,  on  principle  among  their  fellow- 
men,  can  completely  check  and  defeat  this 
Crusade  of  Clericalism  here  as  it  has  final- 
ly been  checked  in  France  and  is  being 
overthrown  in  "darkest  Russia"  today. 

Masons  cannot  be  vilified,  abused  and 


The  Crusade  331 

cursed  by  this  double-headed  dragon  more 
than  they  have  already  been.  It  would 
burn  and  destroy  Masons  today  if  it  had 
the  power,  and  it  is  working  twenty-four 
hours  a  day  to  gain  this  power.  There  is 
no  vile  name  in  the  calendar,  and  no  wick- 
edness in  the  measureless  criminal  experi- 
ence of  Clericalism,  that  it  has  not  at- 
tributed or  applied  to  Masonry.  Here  they 
have  already  done  their  worst.  They  can 
only  snarl  with  impotent  rage,  and  rehash 
their  billingsgate. 

Masonry  should  not  only  stand  openly 
before  the  world  for  what  it  is,  but  Masons 
should  awake  to  civic  duty  and  personal 
responsibility  and  vitalize  those  eternal 
principles  which  are  at  once  its  own  foun- 
dation and  the  rock  upon  which  this  Gov- 
ernment was  founded.  Masons  should  thus 
inaugurate  another  and  opposing  Crusade, 
by  rising  above  party  politics,  self-inter- 
est and  all  lesser  considerations  and  mean- 
er things,  and  with  steadfastness  and  de- 
termination, without  bitterness  or  ill  will 
toward  any  one,  enlist  for  the  war,  and 
never  caase  fighting  till  Eome  shall  let  our 


332 The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

politics,  our  Free  Schools  and  all  our  Free 
Institutions  severely  alone. 

America  is  for  Americans,  and  whoso- 
ever lives  here  with  all  the  rights  and  bene- 
fits so  honestly,  openly  and  freely  accord- 
ed to  the  world,  should  be  notified  in  no  un- 
certain terms  that  they  must  conform  to 
the  principles  we  represent  and  not  hatch 
treason  from  politico-clerical  eggs,  nor  Jes- 
uitically  seek  to  steal  away  our  Liberties 
and  destroy  our  Free  Institutions. 

Roman  decrees  for  America  in  the  light 
of  the  Twentieth  Century  should  be  treated 
with  scorn  and  contempt,  and  not  with 
good-natured  complaisance,  tolerance,  or 
indifference.  The  "Holy  Father",  to  any 
true  American,  is  a  monk  in  petticoats, 
with  a  psychic  delusion  that  he  is  the  am- 
bassador of  Jesus  Christ  and  the  mouth- 
piece of  God  Almighty.  His  College  of 
Cardinals  is  a  gang  of  corrupt,  conscience- 
less politicians ;  and  his  Order  of  Jesuits, 
plotters  and  spies  as  immoral  and  danger- 
ous to  liberty  as  the  Mafia. 

The  issues  are  plain,  and  it  is  high  time 
they  should  be  openly  defined  and  accept- 
ed. Having  defined  religion  in  its  own 


The  Crusade 333 

way,  and  having  arrogated  to  itself  the 
monopoly  of  all  the  religion  there  is  or 
can  be,  and  having  instituted  a  Political 
Department  derived  in  the  same  way,  Cler- 
icalism is  ready  for  business  '  *  at  the  same 
old  stand," — Imperio-Pontifical  Rome. 

Now  if  any  one  questions  her  political 
power,  or  claims  or  exercises  any  political 
right  without  the  consent  of  the  Pontiff, 
he  is  called  atheist  and  an  enemy  of  reli- 
gion, is  cut  off  from  all  fellowship,  and  the 
faithful  are  warned  against  him  and  for- 
bidden to  shelter  him  in  any  way. 

If  any  one  questions  or  denies  any  re- 
ligious dogma  of  this  Janus,  the  engines 
of  political  despotism  are  engaged  against 
him  and  he  is  imprisoned  for  heresy,  or 
burned  as  a  warning  to  all  the  faithful. 
This  beats  the  negro  who  was  after  the 
coon — "If  he  missed  him  going,  he  sure 
caught  him  coming." 

If  all  the  cunning  and  ingenuity  of  dev- 
ils were  boiled  down  and  crystallized,  it 
could  not  exceed  this  Politico-Religious 
statecraft  of  Holy  Church.  Her  Religion 
is  as  immoral  as  her  Politics  are  irreligious 
and  devilish.  Rome  proposes  that  they 


334  The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

shall  rule  the  world  together.  They  both 
should  be  damned  together,  and  held  up  to 
the  execration  of  mankind. 

Some  Cleric  will  refer  to  the  works  of 
charity  by  priest,  nun  and  laity.  The  greed 
of  the  Church  has  made  ten  paupers  where 
it  has  fed,  clothed  or  housed  one.  The 
priest  with  his  crucifix  is  called  upon  to 
quell  riots.  He  often  succeeds,  because  the 
rioters  are  often  Catholics.  Many  mobs 
have  been  thus  dispersed.  Having  kept  its 
followers  in  ignorance,  governed  them  by 
superstition  and  fear,  impoverished  and 
degraded  them,  so  long  as  they  do  not  dis- 
cover the  fraud  they  obey  and  tremble. 

Catholics  admit  everywhere  that  Euro- 
pean countries — Italy,  France  and  even 
Spain — are  rapidly  becoming  atheistic.  The 
Churches  there  are  empty.  Over  here  they 
are  full.  This  "atheism"  is  the  direct, 
logical  and  inevitable  result  of  Ecclesias- 
tical teaching  and  rule.  Taught  that  there 
is  and  can  be  no  other  religion  than  Eom- 
anism,  and  having  found  themselves 
robbed  and  degraded  by  that,  they  say, 
"Very  well!  we  will  try  and  get  along 
without  religion." 


The  Crusade 335 

A  few  deep,  full  inspirations  of  the  air 
of  Freedom,  and  then  they  are  ready  to 
revile  and  insult  those  who  have  enslaved 
and  robbed  them  so  long.  This  is  why  the 
Pope  felt  obliged  to  prohibit  the  proces- 
sion of  Cardinals  in  Rome  so  recently, 
"fearing  they  would  be  insulted."  Very 
likely  they  would — by  Catholics,  whom 
they  now  call  "atheists",  of  course. 

A  Catholic  with  his  eyes  open  is  always 
an  "atheist"  or  a  "heretic."  "Good 
Catholics ' '  must  veil  their  eyes,  or  at  least 
pretend  not  to  see  too  much. 

It  may  thus  be  seen  that  the  Crusade  of 
the  Twentieth  Century  goes  on  in  Europe 
no  less  than  in  America.  In  Europe  it  is 
the  People  against  Ecclesiasticism,  and  the 
people  are  gaining  everywhere.  They  may 
even  adopt  Mark  Twain's  suggestion  after 
seeing  the  poverty  and  degradation — 
"Why  don't  they  rob  their  Churches?" 

In  America  it  is  Ecclesiasticism  against 
the  people,  and  the  Clerics  are  gaining 
ground  everywhere.  It  seems  a  little 
strange  that  "we  Americans"  should  al- 
low the  "Roman  Harlot"  to  associate  so 


336 The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

openly  with  our  *  *  Goddess  of  Liberty. ' '  As 
a  people  our  morals  seem  a  little  lax. 

If  this  Roman  Harlot  "contracts  an  al- 
liance" with  some  of  our  multimillionaires, 
they  will  breed  such  progeny  as  no  Repub- 
lic ever  saw  or  dreamed  of.  Pierpont  Mor- 
gan bought  and  presented  not  so  long  ago 
to  the  Vatican  "a  treasure  of  art"  valu- 
able enough  for  a  King's  ransom.  A  pure- 
ly "innocent  flirtation",  perhaps,  but  one 
would  suppose  that  the  American  Goddess 
might  be  a  little  jealous.  It  might  be  safer 
to  keep  an  eye  on  Pierpont ! 

With  Power  in  the  hands  of  a  few  multi- 
millionaires to  "stop  the  wheels  of  trade", 
and  with  Power  in  the  hands  of  Ecclesias- 
tics to  dictate  the  policy  of  government  by 
holding  the  balance  of  power  through  a 
solid  Catholic  vote;  when  the  God  Mam- 
mon and  the  "Vice-gerent  of  God"  sleep 
in  the  same  bed,  or  stand  on  the  same  plat- 
form clasping  hands,  our  Goddess  of  Lib- 
erty will  be  found  counting  her  string  of 
skulls  for  beads  I 

"Socialism!"  "Anarchy!"  "No  Pop- 
ery ! "  "  Alarmist ! ' '  Call  it  what  you  will, 
my  Brother,  names  do  not  alter  facts. 


The  Crusade 337 

This  game  of  Liberty  we  are  playing  has 
80,000,000  pawns,  but  only  one  king,  one 
queen,  and  one  castle  to  a  side.  The  game 
is  not  yet  decided.  The  castle  may  be  a 
11  Castle  of  Tears"  or  a  "Tower  of  Si- 
lence." It  may  be  a  Kremlin  or  a  new 
Bastile  with  its  reign  of  terror. 

Mammon  and  Priestcraft  are  now  play- 
ing the  game,  and  the  pawns  are  living 
souls!  It  may  be  a  "draw  game",  while 
Priest  and  Plutocrat  divide  the  spoils. 
What  then  will  happen!  History  is  not  all 
"organized  fiction".  Bead  Middleton's 
"Letters  From  Eome",  Arthur  Young's 
"Travels  in  France",  and  let  Thomas  Car- 
lyle's  "French  Revolution"  complete  the 
picture,  if  details  are  necessary. 

Why  does  the  Vatican  hate,  fear,  loathe, 
forever  curse  and  seek  to  destroy  Masonry 
and  Masons?  Because  Masonry  stands 
squarely  across  its  pathway,  repudiates 
every  one  of  its  preposterous  claims  and, 
whether  its  mask  be  labeled  "Politics"  or 
"Religion",  defies  its  power. 

Masonry  embodies  the  wisdom  of  the 
ages  for  the  Freedom,  the  Fraternity  and 
the  well-being  of  man.  It  is  an  epitome  of 


338 The  Genius  of  Freemasonry 

all  progress,  the  genius  of  civilization.  If 
it  conquers  slowly,  it  dies  hard.  When  its 
precepts  and  principles  die  in  the  hearts 
of  humanity,  then  will  come  the  Deluge. 
When  it  really  dies,  Humanity  will  have 
become  a  failure,  and  the  angels  will  weep 
over  the  sorrows  of  the  children  of  men. 

This  is  my  contribution  for  the  "good  of 
Masonry",  my  Brothers,  and  it  is  equally 
for  the  good  of  all  men.  I  would  have  it  an 
Awakening;  a  Warning;  an  Inspiration;  a 
Hope. 

The  first  duty  of  every  Mason,  as  of 
every  citizen  and  patriot,  is  to  see  that  the 
Sanctuary  of  our  Liberties  is  securely 
guarded. 

The  Cowans  are  at  the  door.  The  Ruf- 
fians are  in  our  midst.  The  Lights  on  our 
altars  are  dim.  Awake !  Arise !  0  Free- 
men, and  pass  from  indifference  to  Labor 
and  inaugurate  another  Crusade,  "by  op- 
posing press  to  press,  school  to  school,  as- 
sociation to  association,  congress  to  con- 
gress, action  to  action." 

The  above  is  the  Eoman  Pontiff's  chal- 
lenge to  Masons,  issued  in  December,  1892. 
Let  Masons  be  the  first  to  accept  it  for  the 


The  Crusade 339 

Freemen  of  America.  Let  us  no  longer 
supinely  ignore  it  or  fear  it. 

Hitherto  Masons  have  submitted  in  si- 
lence or  gone  bravely  to  death,  like  De 
Molay  and  a  host  of  good  men  and  true 
who  have  died  in  defense  of  their  integ- 
rity. 

The  Ruffians  are  convicted  by  the  impre- 
cations of  their  own  mouths.  Leave  them 
to  the  Nemesis  they  have  invoked,  and  let 
us  raise  prostrate  Liberty  to  the  living 
Light  of  Twentieth  Century  Civilization, 
before  its  golden  bowl  is  broken,  and  the 
mourners  go  about  the  streets.  Awake/ 


THE  GREAT  WORK 

By   TK 
Volume  111.    The  Harmonic  Series 

This  book  is  also  from  the  pen  of  the  author  of  "the 
great  psychological  crime",  and  is  a  presentation,  analysis 
and  elucidation  of  the  fundamental  principle  and  working 
formulary  of  the  Great  School  of  Natural  Science,  which 
principle  and  formulary  are  known  to  the  "Masters  of 
the  Law"  and  their  students  and  friends  as  the  "con- 
structive principle  of  nature  in  individual  life." 

The  author  of  "The  Great  Work"  is  the  American 
Representative  of  the  great  school  of  natural  science,  a 
School  which  was  hoary  with  age  when  the  foundation  of 
the  great  Pyramid  was  laid;  a  School  which  ante- 
dates all  present  authentic  history  and  records;  a  School 
against  which  the  waves  of  superstition  and  ignorance 
have  dashed  in  vain,  because  its  foundation  is  the  rock 
of  TRUTH. 

To  the  intelligent  freemason  as  well  as  the  general 
reader  this  book  is  invaluable,  for  it  puts  before  him  facts 
in  the  history  of  that  Ancient  Order  which  heretofore 
have  been  "buried  in  the  rubbish  of  the  temple." 

"The  great  Work"  is  unique  in  that  its  statements 
are  verified  facts  which  every  reader  may  prove  for  him- 
self under  right  guidance  if  he  but  have  the  "Intelligence 
to  know,  the  Courage  to  dare,  and  the  Perseverance  to 
do."  The  Philosophy  taught  in  this  book  appeals  to  both 
Reason  and  Conscience,  and  is  an  inspiration  to  "live  the 
life  and  know  the  law"  Every  student  realizes  that,  if  he 
so  wills,  he  may  be  an  heir  to  the  Wisdom  of  the  Ages. 

The  Great  Work  belongs  in  your  Library. 

Bound  in  maroon  Interlaken  cloth. 
Price  $2.00  Postpaid. 


THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

By  TK 
Volume  ]].     The  Harmonic  Series 

This  book,  with  its  fund  of  interesting  and  important 
scientific  data  and  helpful  knowledge,  was  written  by  the 
American  Representative  of  that  "venerable  school 
cf  wisdom"  whose  records  are  the  most  ancient  at 
this  time  known  to  men,  and  which,  for  many  thousands 
of  years,  has  influenced  the  civilization  and  work  of  every 
great  nation  of  Earth. 

Its  members  have  toiled  for  the  advancement  of  the 
human  race  from  ignorance  to  knowledge,  from  darkness 
to  light,  throughout  the  ages  past. 

The  author's  analysis  of  Hypnotism  and  Mediumship 
is  masterly  and  complete.  This  book,  when  it  came  from 
the  press,  encountered  more  opposition  from  the  millions 
of  Spiritualists  than  any  and,  perhaps,  all  other  books 
written  upon  this  subject. 

The  author  demonstrates  that  Hypnotism  and  Medium- 
ship  are  analogns.  For  fifteen  chapters,  by  the 
most  relentless  logic  and  unanswerable  facts,  which  no 
one  has  challenged,  he  proves  that  subjective  Spiritual 
"Mediumship"  is  vitally  destructive  to  the  physical  body 
and  the  human  soul. 

No  orthodox  Christian,  Spiritualist,  Agnostic,  Pro- 
fessional Alienist,  Professor  of  Psychology,  nor  Judge 
on  the  bench  should  pass  this  book  unread. 

Every  practicing  physican  owes  it  to  himself,  and  the 
community  in  which  he  lives,  to  study  and  weigh  the 
statements  in  this  book;  for  he  can  no  longer  stultify 
his  conscience  by  opposing  the  demonstrable  facts  of 
Science,  merely  because  it  may  not  come  through  the 
"regular"  channels,  or  the  particular  school  he  may 
happen  to  represent. 

Add  this  to  your  collection  of  rare  books. 

Bound  in  maroon  Interlaken  cloth. 

Price  $2.00  postpaid. 


By  Florence  Huntley 
Volume  1.    The  Harmonic  Series 

This  initial  volume  of  Natural  Science  covers  that  uni- 
versal principle  of  the  individual  Love  relation  in  nature 
which  operates  through  the  mineral,  vegetable,  animal 
and  human  kingdoms. 

The  philosophy  taught  in  this  authorized  volume 
means  the  dawning  of  a  "New  Day"  in  the  intellectual 
and  ethical  evolution  of  the  world. 

Mrs.  Huntley  has  sensed  the  very  soul  of  mankind, 
understands  its  yearnings  for  whatDrummond  names 
"the  greatest  thing  in  the  world,  LOVE".  She  points 
out  the  pitfalls  into  which  so  many  are  continually 
falling,  and  erects  guide-posts  by  the  way  which,  if  heeded, 
lead  safely  through  the  Acre,  out  into  the  hereafter. 

To  those  who  contemplate  taking  upon  themselves 
the  responsibilities  of  married  life,  as  well  as  to  all  who 
have  done  so,  this  book  will  be  a  priceless  pearl,  to  read, 
re-read,  and  read  again;  then  heed,  re-heed  and  heed 
again. 

"HARMONICS  of  EVOLUTION"  should  be  a  part 
of  every  home  where  dwells  one  thought  above  the 
transitory,  evanescent,  sordid  things  of  this  life. 

It  opens  the  portals  of  the  soul  to  a  knowledge  of  the 
fact  that  this  [life  (has  immeasurable  possibilities  and 
endless  consequences  which  do  not  exist  or  obtain  in 
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FACING  THE  TWENTIETH  CENTURY 

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